Accidental Mating
by Fairy.Rains
Summary: A mating mark is created when a dragon slayer drinks the blood of their partner during sexual release. During the next lunar cycle, the mating must be consummated for the mark to become permanent. But what happens when a mark is created by accident? How will everyone respond? How will the two handle the fallout of this development? Mature audiences only, please and thank you.
1. The Accident

_I do not own Fairy Tail or Bakuretsu Hunters; I just merely look to them for inspiration and laughter...and the naughty thoughts..._

Chapter 1 - The Accident

The man in the hooded cloak left the carriage and walks swiftly down the alley in an attempt to avoid the rain. It's only a light drizzle, but still bothersome. Coming to the metal door with the red symbol in above the knob, he enters. The information he received had better be legit, or else his master will be angry. Draylen shivers at the punishment he'll receive if this all turned south.

Upon entering, the building appears to have been abandoned for a while. The rooms are filled with trash and empty bottles with graffiti on the walls. But there was no odor of neglect or decay, as expected in such an environment. A simple glamour to dissuade others from taking interest in the building, he assumes. To the careful eye, one can make out marks with the same dark red paint in certain doorways. Following the path they create, Draylen found himself before a closed door, bearing the same mark as before, a deep red diamond with a tear shape opening in the middle.

Knocking once, he opens the door and steps into the next chamber. This room definitely stands apart from the rest of the building. Clear from any debris, wall sconces glow with soft flames, providing just enough light. Dark, plush carpet covers the floor, extending to the black leather chairs and glass table on the left side. However, in the middle of the room is the main attraction. A king-sized bed, covered in red satin sheets. Pillows and covers were strewn across its surface and onto the floor, evidence of the previous activities of the two atop the bed.

The man is on his back, hands folded behind his head, wearing only his pants, clasps open as though they were just pulled up to be decent. One knee is raised up, serving as a backrest for the second occupant of the bed. The woman sits before him, legs crossed, hands in finger-less leather gloves. One of those hands stroking along the grooves on the man's abdomen, occasionally dipping beneath the waistband of his pants. Small hisses of pleasure can be heard when she switches to scratching the surface. Each hiss causes her to breath in deeply at the rush of lust.

She is barefoot; knee-high leather boots sitting on the floor next to the bed, toes painted in a blood red color matching her fingers and lips. Baggy pants cover her legs, so loose around her waist that they would have fallen off if not for the suspenders that were attached. And those suspenders are all she has in way of a shirt. The straps are just wide enough to cover her nipples, leaving the remainder of her large breasts out in the open. Over her heart is her guild mark, same as the symbol on the door. Her blonde hair is stuffed into the hat on her head, a few curled tendrils left around her cheeks and her bangs covering the right side of her face . The Gatsby cap is also tilted to the right completing the look and leaving only her left eye visible as it coolly examined the newcomer.

Draylen takes a moment to regain use of his tongue. "Chocolate Misu of Garnet Tears, I presume?" He asks. At her nod, he continues, "I am Draylen of Orc's Knuckle." He reveals the guild mark on his right forearm. "You claim to have control a dragon slayer in the Fairy Tail guild. I've been sent to see if its true or not."

"Mr. Draylen, this is my mate. He is also my spy in Fairy Tail. They don't make a move without me knowing about it first. But that doesn't explain why you have requested this meeting. What does Orc's Knuckle want with Fairy Tail?" She asks. The dragon slayer on the bed raised a hand to begin stroking her stomach, up to just beneath her breasts. She visibly shivers as the feeling, turning her attention to her partner on the bed.

"Of course I will share that information with you, but I need proof of this 'control' before we proceed further," Draylen said, eyes hypnotized, following the dragon slayers fingers. "You say he's your mate? Then it should be no problem for you to show me the mark."

"The mark is only visible to other slayers," her silky voice responds. "Are you claiming to be one, Mr Draylen?" Her question ends in a gasp as strong fingers moved down into the front of her pants, causing her to uncross her legs and lean more heavily back on her dragon's leg.

"True, however the mark can also be seen by anybody that is present when the mark is created", the dark mage replies, licking his lips at the show before him.

"So, you've come all this way just for voyeurism? You're in luck. It just so happens I enjoy an audience. Have a seat. I plan on having this take a while. Feel free to...make yourself comfortable," she nods towards the seats to the side and then turns her attention to the man on the bed, moving to straddle one of his thighs. "Shall we give him a show, my dragon?" she purrs.

Placing hands on either side of him, she lowers her head to slowly lick his chest, red lipstick smearing along the way. The body beneath her begins to tremble in a growl, heart starting to pound. The sound alone is enough to start her squeezing her thighs together, while she smiles knowing she got such a reaction from him. She had been revved up for this for a while, knowing the dark mage was going to demand this from them. And her blood was starting to pump wildly through her system at the thought of finally getting to it.

She starts to breath heavily as she drug her tongue over his nipples, teeth scraping over the nubs. Deep groans pass through the mans lips as his fingers fist the sheets beneath them. She can't keep the excitement secret from the slayer and his nose. He inhales deeply, taking in the scent of her juices. Moving further down, she slides her tongue around his navel and then moves even lower. Nudging the fabric of his pants aside, she sucks his skin, her chin brushing against coarse hair.

Unable to handle it anymore, the dragon decides he's done with niceties and yanks her up to him and attacks her mouth. Her hands slide into his surprisingly soft hair, pulling him closer while their tongues battle for dominance. Teeth click against each other as their lips are brutalized. But neither partner seems to mind as they were filled with need. Hunger for each other was blocking out everything else, including the stranger panting over by the couch.

His hands move to her back, reaching down inside her pants to grab her hips. He begins rubbing her mound roughly against his leg, over and over. The sensation make her cry out, head flying back. He sits up, one arm going around the woman while the other keeps massaging her hips. He lowers his mouth to her shoulder, nipping and licking as he heads towards her neck and throbbing pulse point.

Groans and cries echo in the room as the woman continues to rub herself against his leg, moving faster and rougher. Unable to think of anything but the pleasure, she was reduced to simply mewling, begging for more. She can feel it building up inside, taking her higher and higher, where she has no control. A large hand moves to her breast, squeezing and pinching her nipple. Pushing her more towards the edge as she struggles to breathe around her cries.

Smelling her orgasm so near, he bites into her neck, careful not to draw blood. But the sensation is too much for the blonde and she violently explodes in his arms. Screams fall from her lips as she jerks uncontrollably. Not prepared for the movement, fangs accidentally pierce skin and his tongue tastes her ecstasy's blood by reflex. With this last step, the mating mark is complete.

A wave of lust smashes into him at the taste. Already painfully aroused, the dragon slayer fills with the need to rut with the mage in his arms. He lowers her to the bed, following after, one hand still at her chest, the other pulling off the loose pants. Still recovering from the rapture, she watches him sucking on her breasts and wants more. No needs more. Her hands reach for the pants that are sliding off his hips when she hears the clapping from the man in the corner. "Well that was certainly worth the trip."

Both slayer and blonde freeze as they recall the spectator in the corner. Draylen walks up to the pair, carnality in his eyes. Growling at the look his mate was receiving, the slayer yanks his newly acquired mate to his body, away from the oncoming male. The feeling of her softness against his tense muscles reminds him that she is now naked. He quickly reaches for one of the fallen sheets to cover her.

Remembering her role, the woman looks to her slayer. "Down boy" she says, softening the words with a deep kiss. Reluctantly he lets her go. She stands, letting the sheet fall as she steps up to the dark mage. She tilts her head to the side, showing him the mark. "Satisfied?" She asks.

"Very," he sighs, reaching out to stroke the spot. Warning growls sound from the dragon and she moves back away from the hand before it can make contact. "At another time, I would like to have a better look." he says, lewdly raking his eyes over her body. Knowing it will never happen, she simply disregards the comment while the dragon behind her seethes.

With a little cough to get himself back together, Draylen presents her an envelope from inside his cloak. "Very well. Inside you'll find the details of what we are looking for. You should be able to find it in the guild's extensive library. There are also instructions on how to contact us when its found. You will receive payment once we have the item in hand." Turning he walks to the door. With one last look over the blonde's body, he exits the room, shutting the door behind him.

The celestial mage turns to look at the dragon slayer, waiting for his signal. After a minute he nods, confirming that they were free from prying eyes and ears. She promptly walks up to the slayer and kicks him in the stomach.

"What the fuck, Gajeel! You actually bit me!" Lucy yelled as she grabs the sheet to cover herself. "Now I have a true mark and we're mates!"


	2. The Mission

_I do not claim ownership of any part of Fairy Tail or Bakuretsu Hunters._

Chapter 2 – The Mission

-Three weeks ago-

Lucy and Gajeel sat in Master Makarov's office. The morning just barely started, only a dim light coming in through the windows. Lucy herself was nowhere near functioning this early in the morning, but a cup of mocha-flavored hot chocolate helped to get her brain operational. Gajeel appeared as always, stoic and silent, arms crossed. Sometimes Lucy was convinced that he practiced 'not moving' from that position. He probably slept standing up, merely lowering his eye lids. She gave a small giggle at the thought, earning her a sharp glance and arched metal brow. The lack of motion solidified the thought and caused her to burst out in laughter.

The men in the room looked at the girl in warily. "You better explain what's going on, old man. Looks like Bunny Girl ain't sane this early in the morning."

Makarov Dreyer merely shook his head and reached for a pack of folders on his desk, while Lucy calmed down. "I apologize for calling you here so early, but it is of the utmost importance that this meeting remain secret. No one can know what we discuss here." The two mages straightened in their seats, giving the master their full attention. "I have a vital mission for the both of you. You will be gone for quite a while and it is imperative that nobody know where you've gone or why."

"But before we proceed further, I must know something." He said turning to look directly at the dragon slayer, concern marking his features. "Gajeel, have you claimed Levy as your intended yet?"

The iron-eater flushed red, jaw dropping. Definitely not what he was expecting to talk about this morning. Normally this type of questioning would yank his temper to the forefront, but the master had earned Gajeel's respect so he would treat him as such. "No. Not yet," he responded quietly.

Lucy just looked on confused. _'What the hell does that mean and what could it have to do with our mission?'_

"That's good," Makarov took a sigh as a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. No matter the importance of this mission, he would never do anything to jeopardize that type of bond. And this job was definitely going to push that boundary. Now it was time to dive into it.

"There is a dark guild named Garnet Tears in Clover Town. They have been spreading the rumor that they have a spy in Fairy Tail and are offering information to the highest bidder."

Gajeel shot up out of is seat, cracking his knuckles. "Who is the spy! I'll take care of this right now"

"Sit down, boy. There is no spy." Makarov knocked the slayer back to his chair with a giant fist.

"I don't understand, Master. How are you so sure?" Lucy asks

"Mest is the one that brought this to my attention. His squad captured the guild master, Chocolate Misu and she confessed to making it up to hustle jewels from other guilds. However this has given us the perfect opportunity. Another guild has contacted Ms Misu about getting something from our guild. She kept putting them off out of fear of them discovering the truth. This is one dark guild that is not to be trifled with, Orc's Knuckle.

"The council captured her as she disbanded the guild and attempted to run. But we are going to use this chance to find out what Orc's Knuckle is after. You two will go undercover, playing the part of Ms Misu and her spy, contact Orc's Knuckle and discover what they want with us. Once we know more, we will decide the next steps to take."

"I understand how important this mission is, but why did you choose us?" Lucy asked, nervous about the task. It was pretty well known that she wasn't the greatest mage Fairy Tail had to offer; this kind of mission didn't need somebody like her messing it up.

"Gajeel, you will obviously play the part of the spy. I'm sure you're fine with that role."

"Gi hi hi hi," the dragon smirked.

"Lucy, you are the only person in this guild that physically matches the description of Chocolate and it helps that you have a guild mark that is easy to hide. You will be playing her. The two guilds have never met face-to-face, so there will be no need to worry about disguises."

"But I'm still confused. After the GMG, its pretty obvious to all of Fiore that Gajeel is a dedicated member of Fairy Tail. Why would anybody believe he is a spy for a dark guild."

"Because you will be operating under the conditions Chocolate herself used deceive the other guilds. She claims to have a bond with her spy, specifically a dragon slayer, that supplants any other bond of guild loyalty."

Gajeel quickly caught on. "When I was younger, that kind of statement would end in an execution," he growled angrily.

"Indeed, but thankfully we live in a more modern era than the dragons did." Looking to Lucy, Makarov explained, "Ms Misu claimed she was the mate of a dragon slayer. In most basic terms, a wife, but it is all more complicated than just simply that. A mate bond is...just more. Gajeel will have to give you more details, as he is the dragon slayer."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, knowing an explosion was eminent. "You two will be acting out the roles of a dragon slayer and his claimed mate before the representative of Orc's Knuckle. There must be no doubt in his mind that you two are lovers" The master finished, red-faced.

The two mages sat in stunned silence for a total of five seconds before Lucy screamed "WHAT!"

xxxxx

Lucy and Gajeel looked at each other uneasily as they exited the office. They slowly descended the stairs; the hall thankfully was still empty. Neither was really sure where to start. Taking the plunge, Lucy spoke.

"I'm going to take these home," she motioned to the stack of folders she carried, "and start packing. Umm..."

Gajeel pulled her into a corner, hidden from anybody that might walk in. "Look, Bunny Girl, I know how to do this part," he barely whispered, standing close so even other slayers wouldn't overhear their words. "We're gonna need a day to get our alibi's set up. There's a train heading north every morning, usually pretty early. We need to be on it. You have until then to figure out something to tell everybody. But in the meantime, act normal. And we cannot be seen talking to each other."

Lucy looked up at the taller man, _'seriously, did all dragon slayers have no understanding of personal space?'_ She added on to his instructions, "And whatever excuse we have must be believable for the weeks we'll be gone. You're going to need to tell Panther Lily. He should be fine to take with us. Besides nobody would believe you would be gone for that long without him anyway."

The iron dragon slayer grunted. She was right. Having Lily with them shouldn't be a problem. He might even be useful later on. This was an undercover mission after all. Thinking of what was to come, he grimaced. He already had a pretty good idea of what they were going to need to do. But doing _that_ with his girl's best friend wasn't exactly a task he looked forward to.

Lucy's thoughts ran about the same. She might not know the exact definition of a mate, but she was smart enough to figure a good deal of it out. Levy was head-over-heels for Gajeel, even if they haven't announced any formal relationship. How could she go through with this mission, let alone ever look Levy in the eye afterwards.

Shaking her head and letting go of the thoughts, she continued. "Lets just focus on today. Tomorrow while we're on the train we can look over all this information and worry about everything else. Deal?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll send Lily to you with the exact time the train leaves."

Lucy smiled and left the slayer. She felt a little better having an actual goal to focus on, easing her nerves slightly. Stepping a few feet around the corner, she saw the very last person who needed to see her and Gajeel together.

"Hello Lucy. What brings you to the guild so early?" MiraJane Strauss asked.

Lucy froze, feeling as though she had been caught doing something naughty already. "I...uhhh...well..." unable to form a complete sentence, her face turned so red that Mira worried she would pass out. "Sorrygottagobye," she rushed out then ran top speed out of the guild before anybody else could see her.

Gajeel, still hidden in the shadows, face-planted. Seriously, this is what he had to work with for an undercover mission? They were in so much trouble.

Hearing footsteps come closer, he quickly left through a nearby window, avoiding being detected by the nosy barmaid.

xxxxx

Lucy was out of breath when she arrived home. Panting, she opened her door to find the apartment already occupied.

"What are you doing here," she demanded, too tired to mess with her usual shouting.

"Hey Luce. We're exercising. Wanna join us" Natsu asked, signature grin in place as he completed his crunches.

"Yeah, Lucy is getting to be a bit heftier, especially on the back side" the flying cat snickered.

"Shut it cat!" Lucy screamed, having gotten her second wind, scaring the exceed in to flying out the window, tears streaming behind him.

Natsu got up to ask his partner where she was when get caught the smell of iron and scales. Not sure as to why, a trill of anger shot down his spine.

"So, where were you?" he asks, trying to ignore the sensation.

Anxious as she was about the upcoming mission, Happy's words distracted her enough to help her behave normally.  
"Master asked me to do some research on some dark guilds," she waved the folders in her hands as she walked over to place them on her desk. "I went to get these from him so I can start."

"...and?" Natsu didn't think she was lying, but it didn't explain the scent she carried.

"And what?" she asked confused. She thought her lie was pretty good, especially since Natsu, having the restraint of a puppy, was bound to look through the folders that backed up her words.

"You smell like Metal Head." Natsu had to suppress the growl working up his throat. What was wrong with him? He never behaved like this before. _'Because I came over first thing this morning and she wasn't here. And when she finally arrives, she smells like nerves and another male._ '

"Yeah...I saw him on the street and asked him about Levy. I'll need her help with this research...so..." Lucy was starting to worry. There is no way he could know about the mission, so why is he acting so suspicious of her.

It was a lot of smell for just a few words out on the street, but Natsu pushed the thought aside. If she said it was just something simple, then that's all it was. Everybody knew Gajeel and Levy were together, so why was he even getting worked up about it. _'Because she's mine and he's an un-mated dragon, a threat.'_

"Yeah, sorry about that," he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Not sure what I was thinking. Anyway, lets go to the guild and eat."

"I'll be by later. I want to take a shower. Since Master wanted me there so early, I didn't get to take one yet. And I obviously need one if I smell like Gajeel," she added dryly.

Natsu flushed but fully agreed to her washing the scent off her skin. His mind quickly pulled up an image of her, naked and wet, soap bubbles being spread across her stomach, hands moving up...Natsu shook himself so hard to clear the vision from behind is eyes that he wound up tripping over his feet and falling to the ground.

Lucy immediately jumped over. "What the hell! Are you ok?" She reached over to help him up but froze when he jerked back away from her.

"Sorry. Um, I gotta go," said as he got up and ran out of the window.

Lucy watched him go, not really sure what to think of his behavior. Shrugging it off, she went to the shower. She had a lot more to worry about than Natsu being Natsu.

xxxxx

Natsu slowed down before he got to the guild. His heart was still racing, through. Those images of his partner were coming more and more often. He's had them ever since he first met Lucy back in Hargeon. At first he thought it was just simple teenage hormones. But as the time passed and the dreams became more frequent and extremely more vivid, Natsu was forced to accept reality. He wanted Lucy, his best friend, in a very non-"best friend" way.

He knew everybody thought he was asexual, but that was hardly the truth. Nor was he innocent of what happened behind closed doors. Seriously. Being in this guild for five minutes was enough to corrupt even the most virtuous soul. And then there was his sense of smell that told him more than he wanted to know about his friends' private lives.

But above all things, he's a dragon slayer. It just isn't in his DNA to have casual relationships. When he finds his mate, he will be loyal to her and her alone. In the meantime, it was like a betrayal if he has dalliances beforehand. He would be pure for his mate and expects her to be just as pure for him.

Lucy however has become such an important part of his life that he was willing to forego purity for one night with her. But he wasn't sure if she was the one and if she wasn't, then he didn't know what he'd do. He couldn't see anybody but her as his mate. She was his most precious treasure.

The years only cemented her place in his heart and those dream images increased his desire for her body. Natsu knew he needed to to talk with her about it, but he was never able to start that conversation. He know she's attracted to him, her smell giving her away. But he wanted love and that he couldn't simply smell. So he would wait until she wanted more too.

Entering the guild, he found things in full swing. First things first, Natsu headed towards the bar to get some food and then a fight. That should help clear his head for a bit.


	3. The Alibi

Chapter 3 – The Alibi

 _-Three weeks ago-_

"How may I serve you, Princess?" The maiden bowed before a freshly showered and dressed Lucy.

"Virgo, I need your help. The Master wants Gajeel and me to go on a super secret mission. Nobody can know anything about it. I've got everything I'll need packed in these bags. Can you hold on to them for me so Natsu doesn't see them next time he breaks in?"

"Of course, Princess. Is there anything else you require?" the pinkette asked in her monotone voice.

"Yes. I need to everybody to think I am in the Celestial Realm while I'm gone. Show up at the guild in front of everybody later this afternoon and make up some excuse as to why I need to go back with you. Then take me somewhere to hide until I can leave on the train tomorrow morning. Got it?"

"I understand, Princess. Would you like me to tell everyone you need to come back to punish me?" the pinkette asked.

"Uh, no. Try something else." Lucy rubbed her head as she sighed.

"Yes, Princess," she replied and disappeared in a flash along with her luggage.

Now that part was done, she felt like she managed to accomplish something. All that was left was to freak out about needing to be Gajeel's pretend lover. ' _How am I supposed to pull this off? Even if it is pretend, I'm going to feel horrible for doing this to Levy. Stuff like this needs to happen to somebody else for a change."_ With a groan, Lucy started heading to the guild for some breakfast.

xxxxx

Walking into the hall, she quickly ducked to avoid the plate flying at her head. Used to the madness, she brushes it off as she heads to get some food, side-stepping broken table pieces and remnants of breakfast.

Talking with Kinana, Lucy gets a full plate and heads to join Levy and Juvia. Sitting down she takes note of what everybody is doing while chatting with her friends. Cana was drinking with Macao and Wakaba, as usual. Grey and Natsu were slinging insults and throwing punches, as usual. Elfman was bickering with Evergreen near the Thunder Legion's table, as usual. Wendy and Romeo sitting together with slight blushes, Max and Warren commentating on the largely growing brawl, Reedus painting, Nab looking for a job, Bisca and Alzak watching Asuka play with Happy. Everything was just normal. A soft smile graced her lips as she enjoyed the sight. This was her family and she wouldn't change it for anything in the world. Lucy sat back as she soaked in the first sense of calm she's had since waking before dawn.

That peace quickly shattered as the she-devil walked up. "Good to see you again Lucy." She smiled a bit too much. _'Oh shit,'_ Lucy swallowed, remembering when she ran off on her this morning.

"Hi Mira. How are you and Laxus doing these days," she tried to distract the matchmaker...and failed miserably.

"We're great. I want to talk about what you were doing here so early in the morning?" Mira dived in headfirst. The two blunettes at the table looked at the blonde in question.

"I—uh, I was getting some paperwork from Makarov." Lucy's voice sounded uncertain.

"Oh I know that. What I want to know is who you were with in that back corner and what were you doing that got you all hot and bothered that made you run out of the hall?" Levy and Juvia's faces held surprise while Mira became an unstoppable force of evil scheming.

Lucy's face went from cherry red to deathly pale in the blink of an eye. _'Oh Mavis, how am I going to explain this?'_

"LUCY! What have you been doing?" Levy exclaimed.

"Love-Rival better not have been with my Gray-sama," Juvia's eyes glinted with malice.

"Well...um...actually... I-I had a really bad stomachache and had to get home to a toilet before I exploded," Lucy blurted out. Eyes widening at the words that burst from her lips, her hands covered her face, groaning. _'I can't believe I just said that. They're never going to believe it.'_

"Goodness! Are you feeling better? Do you need me to get you something more gentle from the kitchen?" Lucy's surprised gaze took in the sympathetic expressions on the faces around her.

"Um, no. I'll be fine. Thanks though, Mira." Lucy mumbled, not really sure if she was glad that her friends bought that story.

The guild doors chose to open at this moment, distracting everyone. Gajeel and Panther Lily walked in. His eyes scanned the room before landing on Lucy for a brief moment and then moved to Levy. Gajeel nodded to Lily, who flew in their direction.

Natsu noticed the look-thinking it was aimed at Lucy-but saw that Levy was sitting next to her and realized he was being foolish. His inner dragon was just trying to see things that weren't there. Pushing it aside, he quickly rushed to his fellow dragon slayer to start another fight.

Panther Lily settled on the table before the girls. "Levy, Gajeel will not be joining Team Shadow Gear on their job today. He has decided to go away for some training. He will be leaving on the 6 am train tomorrow, which is before you will be back from your mission." Lucy filed the time away, knowing this message was really for her.

"Oh," Levy sighed, crestfallen, and looked back at her long-time crush. It is so difficult to get Gajeel to come with her and Team Shadow Gear. She was so excited that she got him to agree to this one. "Well, I understand. I'll just try to get him to join us for a different job. How long are you guys going to be gone?"

"A few weeks. Shouldn't be longer than a month." Levy nodded, disappointment weighing down her shoulders.

"Hey, cheer up," Lucy said, trying to get her friend in a better mood. "I just got a job from Makarov to do some research on some dark guilds. You can work with me on it and it will help pass the time until he returns." _'Says the soon-to-be former best friend who going to be gone with him behind your back,'_ she thought. She was so disgusted with herself, and she hadn't even done anything yet.

"Thanks Lu-chan. You really are a great friend," Levy beamed up at her, while Lucy cringed inside, calling herself all sorts of foul names.

"Hey Luce," Natsu bounded up to sit with them, finished with his fight and distracting the girl from her inner dialogue. "Wanna go on a job today? I found a pretty great one." His smile was infectious. And, as always, caused those butterflies to flutter in her stomach and tingles to shoot down her spine. Over the years she's been with Fairy Tail, she came to the realization that he was her entire world. But she also learned to push those feelings aside. He's made it apparent that he will never think of her more than a friend.

"Sounds great," she answered. _'Must keep up appearances'_ , she thought. "What one is it...wait. It better not be the one with that giant spider near Crocus that I saw yesterday!" her voice rising.

"No. Laxus and his groupies stole it before I could get it." Natsu muttered, still grumpy about loosing out on an awesome job. "Here," handing her the flyer, "Its for finding a treasure in a cursed cave up on Mt. Hakobe that's said to be guarded by a vicious beast." He smiled, his childish enthusiasm returning.

"Only you would think a job on that frozen hell is fun. Why do you keep picking jobs up there? We run into groups of vulcans every single time. Aren't you tired of fighting them?"

"Oh, come ooooooooooonnnnnnnn. It'll be great. Let's go right now!"

"No, I'm not going on that mountain, ever again. Find a different job." She pushed the flyer back to him and crossed her arms under her impressive bust.

Natsu's eyes strayed and he briefly forgot what they were arguing about. "But-"

Lucy glared at him. "Fine," he gave in. "I'll go find a different boring mission since you won't let me have any fun," he mopes as he slowly heads back to the request board. Levy and Juvia giggle at the interaction. Seriously these two really need to see they are perfect for each other.

As the morning continued, everything followed its normal pattern. Natsu got distracted from looking for a job by fighting with Gray, the third match of the day for these two. Then he challenged Erza, then he got hit by Gray because he ignored him, which caused him to fly into Gajeel, pulling him into the fight. Then Erza stepped in with her look of death and gauntlet covered fists. Ah...the joys of nakama.

Later on, Team Natsu sat together, arguing over which job would be best. Lucy was looking for what would have a reasonable reward after they paid for damages; Natsu wanted something with an impossible to defeat monster; Grey wanted something that involved lots of opponents so Natsu doesn't hog all the action; Happy wanted a job that involved fish; Wendy wanted to go back to 8-Island; Carla didn't want to go on a job; Erza kept eyeing the one for the theater. The group was then surprised by the sudden appearance of Loke.

"What are you doing here? I didn't open your gate?" Lucy wondered what was going on.

"The Celestial Spirit King sent me. He wants you to come to the spirit world, pronto. Something about your spirit contracts expiring," he gave Lucy a sly look. "If you don't get these fixed, you might loose some of your spirits.

Realizing what was happening, Lucy fell into character. "Oh, okay. With the time skip and all, I never really did think about that. I'm I very far behind?"

"No. The contracts are set on Celestial Time, which means most of your contracts are just now coming up due. But its just easier to do them all at once." he assured her. "However as to my contract, I would love to discuss the details over dinner." He grabbed her hands in his pulling her to her feet. "Maybe some candlelight and wine. Perhaps near the ocean where we can hear the waves and then later find ourselves frolicking in the water with little-to-no clothes on."

"Hey," Natsu yells, knocking the lion away from her. _'That cat needs to learn his place,_ ' he growled inwardly. Jumping back into normal-Natsu mode, he continues, "Lets go with her. I wanna see that mustache guy again so I can challenge him to a fight. I bet I can beat him." Fists flaming, he was raring to go.

"Sorry Natsu, but just Lucy can come this time," Loke butted in, pulling Lucy to his side, arm around her waist. Natsu frowned, eyes glued to the hand that was slowly moving down her hip.

"She'll only be with us for a short while. But in your time, it will be more like a few weeks. I'm sure you guys can manage without her." Loke grinned, knowing he was pushing the slayer's buttons. Then he grunted as her elbow slammed into his gut.

"Sorry guys. I guess I'll go on a job with you next time," Lucy said, ignoring the wheezing lion and smirking dragon.

"Don't worry, Lucy," Erza stated. "Your contracts are vital to your magic. That is more important. We'll be sure to watch after things while you're gone. Will you need your rent paid?" That's Erza for you. Always focused on the bigger picture.

"No, I paid a bit extra last time so I'm good for the upcoming month. Natsu, you and Happy can help yourself to my food. No point and letting it all go bad."

Natsu nodded, still upset that Lucy was leaving him, and even angrier that she was going with Loke. Pouting, he turned away and just happened to catch Gajeel watching the group, specifically Lucy. Realizing he was caught, Gajeel got up and left the guild, Lily following after.

Used to Natsu's fits Lucy ignored him while speaking with Erza about house-sitting while she was gone and made plans to get with Levy after she got back. Sure that everything was taken care of, she took Loke's hand, ready to leave to the spiritual realm. Looking to Natsu with a small smile, she disappeared in a flash of light.

xxxxx

Moments later she found herself at the train station, realizing it was already the next morning. Traveling through the Spirit World really was killer to a person's sense of time. Virgo was there with Gajeel, Panther Lily and her bags. Their train had just arrived at the station and it's passengers were disembarking.

"Princess, I took the liberty of reading through the files in your luggage and packed clothes that are appropriate for the role you will be playing. The files are in the top of the bag as well."

"Thanks, Virgo. That is really helpful. I'll be sure to think of a good punishment for you," Lucy promises, smiling. Virgo swooned and flashed back to nothingness.

"Good job on the alibi, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said, lifting both their bags and staring towards the train. He was actually impressed by her idea. Lucy beamed up at him, glad to have earned his approval. Picking up Lily, she moves to board. He motions for her to climb in first then follows, grounding himself for the upcoming ride.

Neither of them notice the train that pulled in at the other side of the platform. Levy pushed her teammates to catch the earlier ride and make it in time to see Gajeel off. She managed to just see him board the train.

 _'Oh well, at least I got to see him,'_ Levy thought. Hoping to catch his attention through the windows, she moves closer to the vehicle, arm raised to wave. That's when she sees him enter a private compartment, and he's not alone. She didn't notice the other person at first, her attention on her crush, but soon realized its a female with blonde hair. Before she can see more, he pulls the door closed. Confused, Levy continues to watch as the train departs, not realizing she still had her hand up in the air.

 _So, to be clear, I absolutely adore Levy and love me some GaLe. But this story is gonna have some angst for everybody, and this is just where hers starts._

 _Anyway, thanks to all who followed/favorited/reviewed._


	4. The Aftermath

Chapter 4 – The Aftermath

-Present Day-

"Oh Mavis, what are we going to do. Levy is going to kill us. Well, she's going to just hate you, but since she loves you, she'll get over it. Me, I'll be dead. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was that damn potion. I'm going to back to that store and kick that shopkeepers ass. He could have told me how strong the side effects were….ugh anyway, its my fault. I decided this was the way to go and I got the potion. Why do all my plans work out like this. I'll just…I'll leave the guild. I'll go live in the forest...no the mountains, in some deep cave...hopefully it won't be too cold. Just somewhere where nobody can find me and I can't ruin the lives of anybody else."

Gajeel sighed, sitting on the bed, watching the blonde rant as she paced back and forth. She had been going at it for the past fifteen minutes, barely concealed in the blood red sheet that she tied around her. And although it was entertaining to watch the glimpses of thigh that peaked out as she stormed up and down the room, they really needed to get going.

"Look, you already know the mark isn't permanent, Bunny. So all of this is just wasting time. We need to get dressed and get out of here."

Lucy head snapped over to him. A new target to take out her frustrations on. Marching over, she started her attack.

"You're in just as much trouble as me, buster. We're both tied down by this mark. And you weren't supposed to draw blood."

"Wasn't given much of a choice. Didn't know you jerked around so much when you're cumming. Guess we should have spend some time practicing first," his grinned at her.

"Uhhh-no, we shouldn't have." She sighs, "I didn't realize I was going to be so sensitive on my neck," she was finally calming down. "We probably could have just started there and been done with it all pretty quickly," she thought aloud.

"But it wouldn't have been nearly as fun" he snickered.

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes. Its amazing how quickly he could pull her out of her fits with his jokes. Despite everything, she was never going to regret them becoming friends. These past weeks started rocky but have been a blast. Too bad it all had to be ruined with tonight's little episode...well not "little" because, damn, it felt good. But that's besides the point because she wasn't supposed to enjoy it.

"Besides, being that sensitive on your neck is a sign that you were meant to be a dragon's mate. Think of it as a good thing." he continued. Lucy blushed, thinking of her dragon at home. She was eager to go back and finally have that talk with Natsu.

"Fine, lets go. But first, why is this still bleeding?" motioning to the line of crimson slowly creeping down from her neck.

"Even though the mark is complete, its not 'finished'. I just need to seal it."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this: how do you seal it?" she asked, dreading the response.

The slayer smirked and shot her a lewd look.

"What is it with you dragon slayers? Does everything revolve around sex?" Her outburst was met with laughter.

"You'll learn to enjoy it," he managed to get out around his sniggering.

"Alright, alright, lets just get this done so I can get dressed." She rolled her eyes, walking up to him.

He reached out and loosened the knot holding the sheet to her body, letting it drop to the floor. Looking at the trail reaching her navel, Gajeel licked his lips. The potion was still riding them both pretty strongly, but it should be dying out soon. They needed to get this done before it was all gone.

Hands at her waist, he pulled her closer. He leaned forward and pressed his tongue firmly to her skin, moving slowly upward to clear the trail in a single, long swipe. Her hands grabbed his head, fingers tunneling through his hair. It just took the thought of what was to happen to get her going, him actually touching her was quickly unlacing the ties of her control. Her own hair tickling her hips as her head fell backwards while moans left her lips. Muscles in his arms quivered with the effort to keep his hands from stroking over her form. Her nipples tightened almost painfully as passed her breasts, ignoring them on his way up to the puncture.

She could already feel the juices starting to drip down her thigh, biting her tongue to keep her from begging for more. He circled the bruise, causing her to cry out and tugging on his hair. When his mouth finally closed over the mark, she fell apart. Screaming as the orgasm ran through her, her hips bucking wildly she struggled against his unshakable grip.

Smelling her, wet and dripping, Gajeel lost what little restraint he had, pulling her against him, biting hard into her flesh, tasting her ecstasy's blood again. He laid them down on bed, hands on her thighs, moving her legs to wrap around him. A flash of blue hair crossed his mind, helping him fight against the need wracking his body. Sucking lightly, he sealed off the wounds. Pulling away from her, he tried to catch his breath as he watched her pant heavily upon the sheets. Her eyes fluttering as she tried to get the strength to open them.

Guilt started to weigh heavily on him, letting him know the potion had indeed burned through his system. But right behind those feelings was the desire to finish what he started with the blonde. That had to be the side effect of the mating mark.

 _'Damnit. I was certain we wouldn't have to put up with this,'_ he thought, angry with the turn of events. For actual couples, the mark brings incredibly strong lust, where just touching the mark can bring release. But marking someone that isn't your intended is supposed to work differently. If they still have the lust, what exactly is different?

Lucy took a deep calming breath, trying to get her heart under control. If its going to be like this, she wasn't sure she'd be strong enough to keep from attacking her friend's boyfriend. She knew the potion helped move things along to begin with but earlier orgasm flushed most of that through her system. Now it was the mark powering her thoughts. She could feel those warm coils starting at her neck and moving down, fueling her desire. Gajeel told her how the mark worksed so she's not completely surprised.

Suddenly those coils of pleasure turned to burning pain as though her insides were being tore apart. Screams filled the room as she arched nearly a foot off the bed, tears streaming into her hair. Her hands started scratching at her lower stomach as though to dig the hurt out. She felt him hold her arms away from the damage she inflicted. And then the feeling faded and left her. Again she found herself panting on the bed, trying to open her eyes.

"What was that?" she asked, voice a still hoarse from the screaming.

"A punishment. We aren't supposed to be mates, so the mark is punishing us for having sex," he looked at her wounds. Nothing that needed more than just a simple cleaning against infection. She sat up and waved him off, letting him know she would be fine.

"First we weren't having sex," she got out.

"Splitting hairs, now are we?"

Ignoring him, she continued, "And I didn't see 'us' being punished. Just me," she frowned.

"Probably because you're the only one getting a happy ending here. If you want to test it, though, I'll let you suck me off and we can see what happens then," he offered, naughty smile on his lips.

"Oh shut up. Piss me off enough and I might just take you up on that. It freaking hurt." Sighing she sat up. "Alright, lets get outta here."

xxxxx

Dressed in dark outfits, complete with hooded cloaks, the two made their way down the back streets of Clover Town. Lucy carried a bag with her now ruined costume, envelope and potion bottles, her keys and whip back attached to her belt where they belonged. The two have had to travel like during their time here. It was still vital that the two were not seen. Thankfully the rain kept citizens inside and the roads empty.

The two rushed into the apartment they were using, glad to be out of the rain. Their companion sat on the table of their one-room flat, reading one of the books Lucy picked up to help fill the time. Looking up at their entrance, he raised an eyebrow in question.

"It worked," Lucy confirmed. "He gave us this envelope and said everything we need to know is in there," handing it to the feline. "And I am icky, so I'm taking a shower." Lucy gathered what she needed and made her way to the bathroom. Pausing before the door for a moment, she shook herself and entered, engaging the lock behind her. The mark nearly had her asking Gajeel to join her, but remembering the pain, she easily pushed aside that thought. Maybe getting through this month wouldn't be so hard after all.

In the room, Gajeel sat down on one of the chairs, rubbing his face. Lily looked on, worried. "How bad is it," he asked. They had all discussed what a mating mark is and all that it entails. While Lucy had a great plan to have Gajeel place a fake mark on her, the other two knew there was a chance that a real mark was probably going to have to be used. Gajeel still wasn't happy with how much that dark mage knew about dragon slayer mating.

"The urge to mate is there. I didn't think that would happen since she's not Levy. But there's something else. A penance for being with the wrong person. It hurt her, bad," sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. He didn't like remembering Lucy in pain. She was part of his family, and dragons protected what's theirs. "Anyway, I know the longer the mark is left unfinished, the stronger the desires become. I'm assuming the pain will work the same way."

"But," Lily prompted when the slayer paused. He could tell there was something else he hadn't mentioned yet.

"But I'm worried there might be other things that will happen as well. I just don't know enough about it, and there really isn't anybody around to ask." He got up and walked to the window, aggravated with the whole situation. What was supposed to be a simple undercover job was quickly turning into something potentially dangerous for the both of them.

Looking out into the rain, he couldn't even brood over the possibility of anything worse, because all he could think of was the fact that she was naked in the next room. The shiver of desire that hit him wasn't very strong and easy to push down. This time. But they still had 4 weeks of this to go. Anything could happen and he hated not knowing.

xxxxx

 _Her hands were everywhere, leaving flames of desire in their wake. Her mouth on his, gentle and sensual. The hurried lust of yesterday was now languid yet still as stirring. It was as though they had all the time in the world to discover each others secrets._

 _He pulled at the clothing blocking him from her skin, getting under her shirt. His fingers slowly caressed up to the sides of her breasts, teasing by not taking them fully. Wanton moans left her lips as she moved down his face, licking and sucking. Biting then soothing with words of love and a swipe of her tongue. She continued moving lower, keeping it tender and soothing._

 _This is how he wanted it their first time. They had the rest of their lives for thrilling roughness. But for their initial mating, he wanted sweetness. He had loved her for far to long and he wanted to show her. She was precious to him. He would treat her like hand-spun glass this time. Later he'd make sure she couldn't walk for days._

Grinning, he opened his eyes, expecting blue tresses but instead saw sun-kissed locks. He shock filled him for a moment and in that unguarded moment, the magic of the mark sneaked in and took hold. 'Just pretend', the magic whispered to him, tempting him with Levy's voice. 'Just this one time.'

Not strong enough to refuse, he pulled the girl up to him. Her eyes were just as hazy as his. _'Looks like they we're both going to pretend_ ,' he thought, bringing his mouth down to hers.

Water splashed over them, bringing the two out of their dreams. Looking up, they saw a full-grown Panther Lily, flushed in embarrassment, holding an empty bucket. "You two are really going to have to start sleeping in separate beds….probably separate houses…."

Lucy was still with shock. The two had started sleeping in the same bed during the past week. They would stay up most of the night talking, mostly about the two other mages they were in love with. She honestly didn't think about them attacking each other while dreaming. She recalled the vivid images. She remembered kissing a man, sometimes it was Natsu and sometimes it was Gajeel. She didn't care which one it was. And that thought terrified her.

But what made it worse was not the lust but the other feeling that flowed through her. It was sweet, loving. If the mark's magic just used lust, they could easily fight it. But using love was a different story. How can one stop themselves from falling under to that kind of power.

Gajeel got up to get a towel and dry off. Tossing the towel to the still too quiet blonde he started packing their stuff. "Look we can beat this. We just need to get back to the guild then stay as far apart from each other as possible. In a month this will all wear off."

Lucy moved slowly to dry her hair then shook herself. "You're right. This is a piece of cake," her normal exuberance returned as she went to the bathroom to dress and check her bandages. Exiting with a bag of toiletries, she helped Gajeel and Lily pack up everything. They had planned to be leaving pretty quickly anyway now that this part of the mission was complete.

Gajeel noticed her eyeing a bottle before putting it in her bag. "You sure you want to take that, Bunny?"

Lucy nodded. "We both have promises to keep when we get back. I really don't think I'll be able to keep mine without that potion to help kill my nerves. If I take a smaller dose, I don't think it will act the same as it did last night. I hope. Anyway, lets get out of here. The train should be leaving soon and I want to go home."

Donning their cloaks, the trio made their way to the train station. They had some plans on what they were going to use as excuses, but having an actual mark was going to change things. They would need to regroup, but the long train ride gave them plenty of time.

xxxxx

After their train departed, the newest edition of Sorcerer Weekly was delivered to newsstands. Due to the last-minute story it contained as well as printing extra copies, it was out later than normal. The headline exclaimed "Forbidden Fairy Love," and there was a large picture of Lucy and Gajeel kissing at a bar. Inside, the article Jason wrote was certainly thrilling, backed up as much as he could from subtle conversations with Fairy Tail members. He had wrote about how the two gave their guildmates false stories then ran off with each other for a lover's holiday. Included where many pictures of the two together, mostly hooded to hide their identities, that were provided by an anonymous source.

But the real reason the issue was so late was due to the last photo, received just last night but had to be added to the article since it confirmed the entire article. Black-boxes censoring for more sensitive readers, but it clearly showed the two lovers upon blood-red sheets performing the most indecent acts. His guild mark clearly showing as well as her face obviously in the throws of passion.

And the two mages themselves were still 5 hours away from Magnolia, plenty of time for the powder-keg to build up, ready to explode.


	5. The Strategy

_I claim no ownership of Fairy Tail._

Chapter 5 - The Strategy

-Three weeks ago-

Aboard the train, the group were looking over the files. Well, two of them anyway. The trio was lucky to get one of the larger compartments, where the seats were in a u-shape. Lucy sat in one corner, with Lily next to her, reviewing the information. Gajeel, in the other corner, sat same as always, but a with a slight green tinge and eyes closed.

"Looks like Garnet Tears has been handing out info to quite a few different guilds. Says here she's been making up information about the powers of Fairy Tail mages along with dates and locations of specific missions." Lucy stated as she read report. "Don't know why she would even mess with it. So much of this can easily be verified so they would know she was lying."

"Well according to this, the guilds that were paying were pretty stupid. And I think a few of the guesses got lucky. I remember the Thunder Legion talking about some sneak attacks that happened while on a job a few weeks ago. Well, not so lucky since it was Laxus that they ran into," Lily muttered as he flipped through pages.

"But this guild, Orc's Knuckle is not stupid," he continued. "And they are vicious. It says here that they take assassination requests often, but there has been no proof to tie them to the crimes. A member botched a job once and was caught. But due to lack of evidence the Rune Knights were not able to keep him locked up. The day after his release, his body was sent back to the Knights, in pieces along with a note that stating he was no longer useful." Gajeel grunted and Lucy sat with wide eyes. What were they getting involved in?

"It also says here that Orc's Knuckle specializes in potions for their assassinations, specifically ones that disappear in the system, making it impossible to tell if a person died from poison or natural causes. I can see why the Council has had so many problems arresting them. Hard to prove them guilty without seeing them actually administer the poison." Lily continued pouring over the information.

"Which means when we meet them, we do it on our grounds, not theirs. We don't touch, eat or drink anything offered by them. No telling what type of poison they might put in or on anything." Gajeel warned Lucy. She nodded. She was well aware that she was the one lacking in this group and would follow their instructions to the letter.

A shutter to the train was able to draw a groan from the stoic slayer. Lucy gave a small giggle. It was pretty entertaining to watch the big, bad dragon being brought down by simply sitting in a moving vehicle. Where seeing it with Natsu was annoying but somewhat cute; with Gajeel it was just hilarious.

"You can lay down if you want. There's plenty of room," Lucy said, moving over some of the files to make more space.

A single eye opened and a "No" growled past his lips. Followed by another groan as the train shuttered again. Before she could blink, he was stretched out on two of the three benches. Lucy shook her head as she went back to the paperwork.

After a few minutes, Lucy heard a soft growling, "Just what do you think you are doing?"

Confused she looked down to see her fingers running through his hair. "Ohmigosh, I'm sorry," she jerked her hand away, face burning with embarrassment. "Just a habit with Natsu."

"Don't do it again," he grumbled. Lucy huffed and went back to the reports. Panther Lily shook his head. These two are going to have to get their act together. This dark guild was not somebody to trifle with. They weren't going to last long unless they started working together.

xxxxx

To say that this first week has been rough is an understatement. The two mages were no better than they started out. Lucy would attempt to start conversations only to receive grunts or angry looks. Lily helped with damage control where he could, but both were filled with guilt regarding what they were supposed to be doing and it caused them to hold resentment towards the other. Lucy had closed herself off, losing her cheerful outlook while Gajeel lashed out in anger, unable to do more than growl and grunt in response to her inquiries.

During the nights, Gajeel and Panther Lily were usually gone, checking on the former guild hideout that they were using for their operation, checking for traps and protective enchantments. Lucy meanwhile spent her days doing research on the guilds in question. It was pretty obvious that Orc's Knuckle was looking for some sort of potion, as it was pretty much the only thing they ever looked around for. But Fairy Tail didn't have anything like that. Lucy working on a hunch, went ahead and moved on to researching deadly potions just in case.

It was the fifth night after they arrived in Clover Town when things between the two exploded. What started out as a simple argument about when to meet with the dark guild quickly turned nasty.

"Look we are going to have to do this whether you want to or not. We were chosen for this because the Master trusts us and I'm not going to turn my back on that just because I'm uncomfortable."

"Dontcha understand what's going to happen if we go through with this? I couldn't care less about your problems, but dragons mate for life. I'm not going be stuck with you forever. I actually have plans for my life and you are not part of them."

"Why are you acting like this? All we have to do is pretend for a few minutes. You said all that about the mating is super secret dragon stuff, so this guys isn't going to know anyway. Its not like we're going to have sex, make out or even have to touch each other. You're acting like this is the end of the world."

"How can you be so smart and so fucking stupid at the same time. Yeah, you can hope for the best but with a mission like this, you always, always plan for the worst. What if he makes us fuck in front of him to prove what we say? What then?"

"I-I don't know. Alright, are you happy? I don't know. But what I do know is that these people are dangerous and for some reason, they are looking at Fairy Tail, my family. And if the choices I'm given are screwing you or letting my family get hurt, then I know what I'm picking. I realize if that happens, Levy would never forgive me and I have no idea what Natsu would do, but at least they would be safe. I would sacrifice everything to keep them from harm. And I pity you for not feeling the same way."

With her final words, Lucy grabbed her cloak and ran off. Gajeel paced around the apartment, picking up random things and throwing them across the room to smash into the walls, but even the sound of shattering glass couldn't satisfy the violence boiling up in him. He looked around for other outlets for his rage and found none. That thought just got him angrier. In a huff, he left as well. Leaving the dragon to his tantrum, Panther Lily went in search of the celestial mage.

He didn't have to look far. She was on the roof, crying. Going over, he allowed her to pick him up as her tears continued. "I know what I said, but I don't want to do this either. I don't want everybody to hate me. If it comes to _that_ , they would never want to see me again. But I've looked and I don't see what else can be done."

"We'll figure out something. You've been trying to do this all on your own. Hopefully now that you've brought him down a peg or two, he'll actually start helping. We'll never get anywhere out if its all one-sided." Lily reassured her. He knew Gajeel well enough. It was usually Levy that was needed to get Gajeel steered to the right path but it looks like Lucy managed to do the job. Lily wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow they all actually started working like they should have from the beginning.

xxxxx

The next morning, Lucy woke to find Gajeel making breakfast. Sitting at table, he placed a plate down in front of her with a grunt. She might not be an expert in dragon-gruntese, but she could see that this was the best apology she was going to get. Smiling, she thanked him and dug in.

Sitting down next to her, he held his mug of coffee, waiting for Panther Lily to join them. When the Exceed sat down with his juice, Gajeel began.

"This is how Metalicana explained it to me. Humans spend their lives looking for somebody to spend their lives with. For dragons, they look for their mate, who they will claim as their own. Once claimed, the two will be bonded forever, unable and unwilling to be unfaithful. But the dragon needs to know they chose the correct mate, so there is a sort of trial period. The dragon will mark a potential mate by drinking their blood during an orgasm. After being marked, the two will have one lunar cycle to find out if they are compatible. Usually by having sex like crazy. The mark itself is like a warning to others that they are off limits. If they are chosen for each other, then they will finish the ritual and the bond is complete. However, if they find they aren't for each other, then after the month, the mark will fade the two can part to continue searching elsewhere.

"But that is with actual dragons. We slayers are a bit different. For starters, the mark can only be seen by one that was present at the time the mark was created or another slayer. Also, any sex after the mark is placed will result in a completed mate bond, regardless of whether or not they are compatible. Mating with the wrong person can lead to severe consequences, including death. That's why the old man always told me to make sure I knew before I marked anybody. And its why I haven't pushed Levy for more. I won't risk hurting her like that."

Lucy sat open mouthed. She wasn't sure what surprised her more, the content of his speech or the fact that he actually said so much in one sitting. Taking another bite, she tried to will the blush away. They were actually going to sit and have a serious conversation about sex. Well, maybe she could treat this like its something she writing. She never got embarrassed then. Getting her game face on, she mulled over his words. "So when a pair actually becomes mates, does the mark become visible for everybody to see?"

"No, either way, the mark fades after a month, not sure why. But another one can always be made, if if they are already bonded. Its more like a month-long hickey than anything else." Gajeel got up to refill his drink.

"Well, that works in our favor, at least. We won't have to fabricate a mark if it should already be gone. We might be able to pull this off after all."

"There is another way they'll be able to tell if we are mates or not. True mates can't take their hands off each other, literally. I've seen pairs that are practically a walking porno, though that's not the norm. However we will have to be extremely 'touchy'." Returning to the table, he stared at his cup. Seriously not comfortable talking about this. But he wasn't going to let this girl show him up. Undercover missions are his domain.

"Well I figured as much," she gulped, then sighed. "But its not a fate worse than death. I can handle it for a few minutes if you can." Finished with her food, she pushed the plate aside. "You said we need to plan for the worst, so lets look at that. Determine possible scenarios and what our plan will be for each. Starting with the worst."

"Worst case: they demand to see a mark made then watch us have sex afterwards to prove the bond. If they have a dragon slayer there will be no way to fake this. A slayer can sense a mating bond a mile away."

"If they have a slayer with them, then no matter what happens we're probably going to fail. Well, we already know what our answer is if it comes to that. But I seriously doubt this lady is okay with just letting some strangers watch her have sex, so we can probably work off that to avoid it if possible. So what else?"

Shaking his head at her naivete, he just moved on. "Next worse is that they just want to see the mark. Which means I'll have to mark you with them watching. We can't fake it beforehand."

"Ok," she bit her thumb as she thought. "Well, you said it was like a hickey. So that's simple to get. If we need blood, then you can bite your tongue or lip. That should work, don't you think?" She looked to him hopefully.

"Yeah, except you're forgetting the part about you getting off at the same time that happening," he leaned back in his chair, hands folded behind his head, smirking as he let her figure a way out of that one.

Lucy looked at him wryly due to his coarse language. "Actually my useless research is gonna come in handy for that. In these books, I've found all sorts of potions that can push a person into orgasm. We just need to get one of those, get handsy for a bit and voila. Solution." She looked back at him, smug grin on her face.

Again, he found himself somewhat impressed. "Hmph...That might just work. Well that gives us game plans for the worst situations. Otherwise, it will just be a simple verbal exchange with some playacting. "

Lucy stood to put up her plate, but Gajeel got it before she could. He really was making the attempt to apologize for their argument. "Thank you." He raised a studded brow at her words. "For breakfast, I mean."

Again she got a grunt, but the usual hostile look was gone. "Anyway, do we have any idea as to what these guys are looking for?"

"Orc's Knuckle concentrates on potion magic," Lily took over. "Goes to figure they would be looking for something of that nature. There are just too many different types of lethal potions to have any specific idea. But there is one name that came up that I'm unsure of. Delancy Roane."

"I know that name," Lucy jumped up to her stack of books. "Delancy Roane was a very talented mage known for being able to take spells and "bottle" them. She could watch any spell being done and suck it up into a vial. When that vial is uncorked, then the spell would be released. It's a way to pretty much copy anybody's magic." She turned pages until she found the right chapter. Finding it, she turned the book towards her temporary partners.

"She used it mostly for sharing healing spells since they were so rare, but apparently during her last years, she was kidnapped by a dark guild and forced to bottle various dark spells, including some lost magic. Its said she actually bottled an Abyss Break, but refused to hand it over. She apparently used her magic to send it somewhere safe then killed herself so her magic couldn't be used for evil again."

"So we're thinking Orc's Knuckle is looking for this Abyss Break potion?" Lily asked.

"It says the guild that kidnapped Delancy was the guild that eventually became Orc's Knuckle. So yeah, it's a pretty good guess that's what their after. I just don't understand why they think we would have it at Fairy Tail." Lucy frowned, looking back over the pages, hoping the an answer would appear somewhere.

"Doesn't matter. We know what their after and got some plans figured out on how to handle the meeting. That puts us in a better place than we were a yesterday." Gajeel stood heading towards the bedroom. "I'm going to sleep. We still have more areas of that guild hall to clear out tonight."

"Sounds good. I'll keep looking into Delancy and as well as those other potions we're going to need." Lucy went back to her books, relieved to have a solid idea of where things were going. They might be able to pull this job off after all.


	6. The Friendship

_I claim no ownership of Fairy Tail._

Chapter 6 – The Friendship

-From two weeks ago up to present-

Lucy and Gajeel managed a wary truce. Having a strategy definitely made things easier, but there was still a ways to go. The two still weren't that comfortable around each other. On this Lucy could be honest. There were times where he scared her a bit. True she knew he was mostly bluster, but he still had a way of making her uneasy.

She thought of her relationship with the other dominate slayer. What made them so easy with each other? Then it came to her. He never gave her a choice, forcing himself on her at all turns. Natsu was constantly taking her hand to drag her somewhere, draping himself over her shoulders, showing up at her place, sleeping in her bed. She just got used to it. It was either that or go crazy.

So taking a page out of Natsu's book, she did the same to Gajeel, to an extent. She started slowly, a simple glance of fingers when she handed him something. Using his arm to balance as she stood up. She wasn't completely comfortable with it herself, but when she noticed how still he became with even the smallest of touches, she found it too amusing to be nervous herself. It quickly became a game, where torturing Gajeel was the goal. She was constantly sneaking in touches when he least expected it, changing it up when he became too used to one thing. For a dragon slayer who should be able to sense her coming from a mile off, he was always so surprised by the grazes. And her reward was snaps and snarls, to which she just giggled.

One day, she had a perfect attack planned. He had started wearing his hair in a tight queue due to her playing with it, but that left his neck wide open. Tiptoeing up behind him, she scratched her nails lightly against his skin. It was the final straw for the iron-eater as he got up and chased her around the room as she laughed wildly. When he caught her, he tickled her into crying uncle. It was the first look of happiness she had seen on him since they started this whole mess.

After that, things became easier. The two actually started doing things together. Gajeel found an abandoned space where he and Lily took Lucy to help her with some hand-to-hand battle techniques. He would go with her into town on their occasional trips for groceries or just to do something. He even found her a bookstore that was off the beaten path so she could spend time meandering the shelves without worry of being spotted.

And they started talking. They would talk about the strategy often, to ensure they wouldn't freeze up when the time came. However, this lead to Lucy uncovering his penchant for telling dirty jokes. Seriously that man could turn just about any statement into something that would cause her to blush down to her toes. They also talked about their childhoods, her memories of her mother and his time in Denish. She was quickly learning what Levy already knew, that there were depths beyond the placid surface he showed to the world.

All in all, Lucy would have felt just as though she were with Gray. That was the category she had moved Gajeel into, that brother-like friend. Which only made sense considering the fact that she had always thought of Levy as a sister. Other than the mission they would have to complete, this was quickly becoming a peacefully entertaining getaway from the cheerful destruction she was used to.

Naturally, their talks were going to turn to one of the main gossip topics of the guild. It was pretty inevitable. The discussion came on an early evening. Dinner was over and they were just wasting time until they slept. The meet was just a few days away. Tonight, they were sitting on the bed. Him against the headboard, pillows piled up behind him. Her laying flat the opposite direction, her feet up on the wall near his head.

"So what is with you and Salamander?"

Lucy groaned. "Not you too. Look, Natsu is my best friend. And that's all there is to it."

"..." Gajeel simply stared at her, brow raised. She started tapping her toes against the surface, knowing she wasn't going to get out of this without actually answering.

"Alright, fine. I'm in love with him. Have been practically since we met. There," she huffed, crossing her arms and looking out the window.

"And?" He wasn't letting it go with just that.

"And if I ever got even the slightest hint that he wanted a relationship with me, I'd be all over him. But there is nothing there. No matter how hard I look, he just doesn't see me like that," she sighs, forearm moving to cover her eyes. "I know he's interested in girls, I've caught him checking out a few here and there. But not me, even when I'm wearing my sluttiest clothes. He sees me as a friend, that's it...and I've accepted that. Just as long as I get to be by his side, I can live with that."

"He's a lot slicker than I gave him credit for cuz I've seen him checking you out plenty, Bunny. But you gotta remember dragons are different."

Now it was her turn to give him a raised brow. What was he getting at? Pulling herself up to sit cross-legged, she gave him her full attention.

"Dragons hoard. We find things that we want, and keep them for ourselves, away from everybody else. I've heard about the "memento collection" at his house. That's the same thing. He's hoarding memories, making sure he will always have them."

"Okay..."

"Understanding that, how can you not see that he's hoarding you as well?"

"What?!"

"Think about it. He's always needing to be the center of attention, but its really your attention he's wanting. He pulls you away from anybody, especially males, that come near. He wants you all to himself. I know you've noticed it."

Lucy's eyes widened. "I hoped it was jealousy but it just seemed more like a child upset at having to share a toy than that of a boyfriend. Hmmm...I guess I can see it that way...," she frowned, trying to reevaluate her time with Natsu.

Gajeel continued, drawing her out of her musings. "And he may not have marked you, but he's done the next best thing. You're scented. You smell just like him, all the time, and it throws off anybody else that comes sniffing."

"...I...smell..." Lucy wasn't sure if she was disgusted or pleased with this knowledge, but leaning more towards outraged.

"You know how we dragons are with our smell. It means everything. Him covering you with his scent is a clear statement of intent. He sees you as his." He grinned at the girl, patting her on the head.

"Ok, lets say I agree this is true, but it could all still be explained as just a very possessive friendship, and not anything more than that."

"Well, then you know the solution, dontcha?" he stated, smirk in place. At her look, he sighed. "Me and him are alphas and need to be in control; but we want a mate that is just as dominant. You need to take charge and claim him. Gi hi hi hi." It was hilarious to think of the son of the Fire Dragon King being dominated by this girl and her whip.

"Hmmm..." Lucy wasn't sure, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked that idea. She was actually getting a little excited for it. Switching topics she started in on him, "You are one to talk about _taking charge_. You know Levy is still waiting for you to step up. She actually has a whole speech prepared to tell you off. Its pretty good; I should know because I helped her write it. Anyway, she's getting tired of waiting."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure Shrimp has the chance to change her mind. I haven't really made up for everything yet," Now it was his turn to look glumly out the window as the sun was nearly done with its descent.

"What do you mean?" Lucy moved closer, grabbing his chin to make him face her.

"From when I was with Phantom," he said quietly, looking her in the eyes once then quickly away. She could feel the guilt coming off of him.

"Oh, Gajeel. She's over that. She knows you're somebody else now. And she knows that she's fallen for you. But she needs you to take the first step." She leaned back on her arms, thinking things over. "Alright, this is what we do. When we get back, I will go confront Natsu. You will go to Levy. We will both get our love lives figured out. Promise." She looked at him firmly, hand out.

Grabbing it, they shook. "Promise."

"Well, now I'm all fired up. Lets go do something."

xxxxx

The two arrived at a karaoke bar. Somehow it didn't surprise her that this was the kind of thing Gajeel found to be fun.

Taking a seat near the back, they watching the other club-goers approach the mike and sing out their hearts, some pretty good, though most pretty bad. But the drinks and atmosphere made it all fun. Lucy found herself having a blast.

Then came the time for Gajeel to force Lucy into the fray. Pushing her to the mike, her arguing the whole way. Not wanting to make too much of a big deal, she randomly hit buttons, choosing a song, not really sure which one she chose. Thankfully it was one she knew, although singing such a soulful love song to a bunch of strangers wasn't exactly her cup of tea. Oh well, she might not be a great singer, but its all about the fun, right?

Once she finished, the crowd cheered as she made her way back to Gajeel. Then started a chant. "Kiss him, kiss him." Over and over it repeated, growing louder as the entire crowd joined in. She froze at it. Yeah she just sang some sappy song, but seriously, where the hell had that come from?

"You're gonna have to do it at some point anyway," he said with a smirk. He knew that refusing too much was going to draw a bit more attention than they needed. Why did he think coming here was going to be a good idea?

Rolling her eyes, she pulled his face down to hers, giving him a simple kiss. The crowds crowed in appreciation, none really noticing that the kiss was barely a press of lips against each other. But they all saw her smack him in the back of the head when he laughed. Attention changed back to the stage up front, everyone forgetting about Lucy and Gajeel who left a few songs later, ready to call it a night.

xxxxx

"This red one is a basic lust potion. The more you take, the stronger it is. We should be able to get away with just using a small amount of it." The next day, the group was looking over potions. Lucy had managed to procure few different ones and they were deciding on the best one to use. "But problem is the dosage," Lucy said, looking back at her notes. "Too small, it won't work well enough. Too much and we'll be picking out baby names. I don't know how determine the best amount without testing...which we are NOT doing." She glared at the snickering dragon.

"What else you got, Bunny?"

"The green one actually causes orgasm. But looks like it goes into effect pretty quickly after taking it. So unless we get a chance to take it while we're there, its useless." Sighing, she shuffled some more.

"This one might be the best one we can use," she lifts the purple bottle. "It is an inhibition reducer. Its like being drunk without the fuzziness and hangover; you're clearheaded, but not weighed down by second thoughts or worries, to the point of actually forgetting them. With a good enough dose, we'll both forget our other halves and be able to get everything done that's needed."

"Yeah but after that, it would just be us powering everything. So if we aren't into each other, we'll still be dead in the water." He picked up the red potion. "We'll probably need to use this one too, just to be safe." Gajeel was turning the bottle around in his hands. Tomorrow was the big night and all the last minute details were getting cleared up.

"So we're covered on this end. You have a chance to look over your outfit for the evening," he grinned, already knowing the answer.

"That maid," Lucy growled. "I'd string her up if she wouldn't enjoy it so much. I can't believe she actually expects me to wear this," arm waving to her costume that consisted of pants...and a hat.

"Bet you'd finally get that answer out of Natsu if you wore that around him." Gajeel couldn't stop the laughs busting out. Even Panther Lily chuckled at the celestial mage's disgruntled looks.

"Shut up."

xxxxx

-Present Day-

Makarov sat at his desk, magazine before him. Most of the pictures didn't bother him. He knew there was a chance the two would be identified, especially after the broadcast of the Grand Magic Games. He had faith his children would be able to explain the situation to calm the flames.

It was that last photo that mattered. He had kept in contact with his spies during their mission and knew that this last photo had to be taken by the representative for Orc's Knuckle, possibly all of them were. That could only mean this whole job was a trap from the get-go. He hadn't heard from Panther Lily since yesterday, before the meet, and was worried for their safety.

A knock from the door pulled the master away from his thoughts. "Enter."

In walked Warren. "You asked to see me, Master? Ah, I see you've seen the news. Everybody is talking about it downstairs and its getting pretty ugly. Natsu hasn't arrived yet, so we're not sure if he knows or not."

"Sit down, son. I need to talk with you, and this talk must be completely confidential." At his nod, Makarov continued.

"3 weeks ago, I sent Gajeel and Lucy out on an undercover mission. These pictures are all from them performing that mission."

"Wait, so its all fake?"

"Yes. But the fact that these were taken proves that the mission was a set-up from the beginning. The two are due back today, and I have no idea if they have even seen these yet. I need you to go to the train station. As soon as they are in range, set up a link from me to them so we can get this straightened out before they arrive at the hall. I can hear some of what is going on down there. They cannot walk into this blind."

"Absolutely, sir. I'll go now." Warren got up and headed towards the door. "Any idea on when or where they are coming from?"

"They were in Clover Town. That train should be here in a few hours, but I'm not certain they are even on that train. I haven't heard from them since yesterday. I know this is asking you to strain your magic, but you are my only hope to reach them. And remember, nobody can know. I'm trusting you, son."

"Of course. I won't let you down." And he was gone.

The master slowly made his way out to the main hall. Sitting on the 2nd floor railing, he took in the conversations around him.

"This can't be real."

"I can't believe they would do this to Levy."

"Does Natsu know yet?"

"Since the town is still standing, I doubt it."

"Damn, we're going to need Gildarts here to control him when he does find out."

"What the hell was Lucy thinking?"

"How is the guild supposed to work if we can't even trust our members?"

"Should have known he would be the type to betray his girlfriend."

"Not surprised she's so slutty. Should have tried to go at her myself."

"Gotta wonder how long they've had this planned."

"So who do you think started it? Did Gajeel just straight cheat on Levy or did Lucy whore herself out to steal him?"

"Rich girl probably just thought she could take what she wanted without caring what how others felt about it."

"He was never gonna be good enough to be here anyway; you can't forget everything that happened with Phantom Lord."

"I for one never trusted him. Knew he was going to turn on us one day."

"And now we can see what her true colors are. What were we thinking protecting her back then? Should have handed her over and been done with her."

"She's done nothing but bring trouble to our door and hasn't done anything to make up for it. Remember how embarrassing it was to have her representing our guild for the Games."

Sighing, he moved down to the bar. He needed a drink, probably more than one. It was going to be a day of suffering. He could feel the mob forming, hatred spilling from their mouths as the talks grew worse. He just hoped he had the strength to carry the weight of what was to come.


	7. The Discovery

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 ** _bold italics_** = thoughts telepathically sent to another

 _regular italics =_ just thinking to yourself

Chapter 7 – The Discovery

Lucy stretched at bit. They were on their way back to Magnolia. Her companion was out-cold, taking the place of her normal dragon, head in her lap as she petted through the strands of his hair. Panther Lily sat across from them in the private compartment. They were still working on being hidden. The plan was for her to show up at the guild hall, via Virgo. Gajeel and Lily would hide out for a few days in Onibus, the last stop before Magnolia, then show up.

Lily noted their behavior. Despite the mark, the only sign he'd seen of them acting differently was their make-out session in the bed this morning. _'I know Gajeel's worried, but maybe this isn't as bad as he originally thought,'_ he gathered.

Coming up was a layover in Kunugi. Plenty of time to get out and walk a bit, possibly get a bite to eat. _'_ _ **A nice juicy burger sounds great right about now**_ _,'_ Lucy thought, looking out the window towards the town as it got closer and closer.

"Don't talk about food when I'm like this," Gajeel grumbled.

Lucy and Lily looked to him in confusion. "Nobody said anything about food," he said.

"I heard Bunny say it."

Eyes widening, Lucy had a horrible idea. Testing the theory, she quickly thought something at the slayer.

"I will not be wearing a purple tutu, ever," came the gravelly reply, still not really awake.

"Ohmigosh. You can hear me. I mean my thinking...thoughts, whatever its called." Lucy had jumped up in surprise, leaving the slayer to bang his head on the cushioned seat.

He groaned miserably at the rude awakening.

"Looks like this is one of those unknown side-effects of the mark. Can true mates do this?" Lily wondered.

Gajeel, finally returned to the land of the living (mostly because the train was slowing to a stop) responded, "Its not unheard of with marks or mating bonds. So I'm not too surprised by it."

"Well some warning would have been nice," she knocked him upside his head. Lily chuckled.

"While you two are working this out, I'm going to get us something to eat. You two still can't be seen, especially since we are getting closer to home."

Nodding in agreement, Lucy sat down on the bench across from the slayer while the flying cat left the compartment. They would have about 40 minutes before the train started up again.

 _ **'So are there any other side-effects I need to worry about?,'**_ she thought at the slayer. He turned to look at her with a raised brow.

She waited.

He looked angry.

She started moving her hands, indicating he needed to start thinking his answer back.

He looked even more angry. "Well?" he finally said out loud

"Well what? You never responded." Lucy put her hands on her hips. Hard to do an angry pose when you're sitting, but she was doing her damn well best to pull it off.

"I did. Many times."

"No you didn't. I didn't hear anything." She argued.

"Well then, that answers that. I can hear you because I marked you. You can't hear me because you didn't mark me."

"Well aint that just great! So that pain thing probably only happens to me too, right? Why does this always happen to me?" She turned away and pouted.

"Well, like I offered before, we can always test that," he smirked. Lucy tried to be angry but couldn't keep the mirth bottled. She knew he wasn't serious, but at least she wasn't upset anymore.

"So much trouble from such a small mark," she murmured and with sigh, reach up to touch the wound at her neck. Suddenly she threw her head back and moaned. The desire ran straight through her. She rubbed her thighs together, feeling the coil tighten within, but it wasn't enough. It didn't even scratch the surface of the ecstasy raging through her, followed by a flash of pain, nearly equally as strong. She needed sex or she would explode and she knew this time, it was really going to hurt.

Gajeel was immediately alert. He barely saw the motion where she touched the mark, but the siren's call of her blood rushing through her system gained his full attention. He watched as she writhed on the bench, hands gripping the seat as he tried to not move. Then her eyes landed on him.

He it took every iota of strength he had to be a man and not run away from the blonde as she slid off the bench and crawled over to him, but every fiber of his being told him to flee, urging him to scoot away. He was actually frightened of being in this small room with her alone, the magic of the mark soaring through him, making him itch for her skin.

"Fuck me, Gajeel," she said, having reached him. Her hands reaching landed on his knees and slowly moved up to the fastening of his pants. But Gajeel was having other problems. He knew his strengths. He knew could fight her looks, her smell, her touches, but talking dirty just straight flipped his switch, thickening his blood, sending his cock throbbing.

Growling in submission, he reached out to her just as the door opened to a human-sized and panicked Panther Lily. In his hands were a bag and a magazine. "Gajeel, we have a problem," he started. Stopping at the sight before him.

Lucy was on all fours before the slayer, eyes hazy, skin slicked with sweat, hands working at his zipper. Gajeel looked like a sinking man, leaning towards her, not even seeing Lily. Well, not until the clawed fist crashed into his face.

"You can't do this NOW. We have problems here."

Snapping out of the magic's hold, he grabbed her wandering fingers, looking back at Lily. "Its not like I'm trying to give in! Its hard, ok!"

"It sure is," came a sultry response, her head lowering since her hands were restrained. At the feel of her teeth against his barely-covered stiffness brought a girl-like squeal from the slayer. Quickly, without releasing her, he managed to pull her up, twist her around and sit her down on his lap, her arms crossed. Why this might have solved one problem, it put her mouth in range of his throat, to which she happily latched on while grinding her ass into his lap.

Gajeel didn't even try to stifle the groan that came out as he pulled her closer. "You really need to stop," he heard. Looking towards the sound, he remembered Panther Lily was with them, practically turning purple as he kept his head turned away from the scene. Pulling himself back together by pure brute force of will, Gajeel moved away, releasing her hands and going to the other bench, fixing his clothing.

"Now that you are back, how do we get her calmed down?" Lily tried not to look at the girl who, oblivious to the men, was now working towards self-gratification with her newly freed hands, wanton cries falling from her lips.

"Only one way I know of. How much more time til the train starts up again?" He might have been able to move away from her, but he couldn't take his eyes off Lucy as she now lay across from him, mewls coming with her quickly moving fingers.

"About 20 minutes. So make it fast. I'll be back, then we need to talk." And exceed left.

She was suddenly on him, mouth covering his before the door was even completely shut. _'_ _ **Don't let me have sex with you,'**_ her words came into his mind. Apparently she was aware of what was going on, even if it seemed she had no control of her movements.

Her fingers were back trying for his clothes. Groaning of the misfortune of always having to be the bigger man, he held her hands away again. Being more in control of himself than their other times, he moved them around in a way to better restrain her movements. She was hands and knees down on the floor, his form molded against her back. Her two hands were stretched up above her head, held down with one of his, stealing any leverage for her to move. His other hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head back, revealing the mark. _**'Please Gajeel, hurry. I can't take it anymore. It hurts.'**_ Holding the reigns of his desire, he bent down and bit down on the mark.

Her screams echoed through the compartment, desire laced with pain. The sound helped him fight down the lust that came with touching the mark. Not that it helped much. The mental link between them shared enough that he nearly came undone himself at the feeling of her release, ramming his hips into hers as she rode the pleasure. When her bucking body stilled, she became boneless under his teeth, earning a growl from the slayer. While this position kept her restrained, it excited the beast within.

He is a dominate dragon and having a submissive female beneath him was natural and his instincts were pushing him to make her scream again. The beast overrode all conscious thinking. There was no thought of who she was and why they shouldn't do this. Only carnal need remained. He pushed himself up against her raised ass again, enjoying the sensation, ready to stake his claim. His hands long ago released her and moved to her thighs, lifting her skirt. This is how it should be with his mate. ' _But she's not your mate,'_ he recalled.

Ice ran through his veins at that thought. He remembered marking her by accident. Remembered what would happen if he acting out the images in his mind. Mostly, he saw the face of the one he wanted as his mate. Remembering it all, he rose above the surface of sensuality he was previously drowning in. Releasing her, he quickly moved to the other side of the compartment, shaking with the realization of how easily he forgot everything that mattered.

Still laying face down on floor, Lucy started to cry. It had hurt so much. The need to fuck had filled her and but it came with a pain to her chest. It was as though somebody was pulling her heart from its cage. Literally. She could tell some of her ribs were bruised. And this time, when the wave of punishment came through, it wasn't physical torment. This time it was a wash of thoughts, the hatred and disappointment her friends and family would aim at her when they found out. How they would turn her away, disown her. She could see Natsu's face, crushed when he learned she was with somebody else. How hateful words would fall from his lips in anger. Her heart, no her soul, was shattering as she released the hurt in sobs. She would take the previous pain to this any day.

He watched as the misery poured out of her. He couldn't release his pain like this, so he let her do it for both of them. Picking her up, he let her curl up in his lap as she let the anguish out. During this, Panther Lily returned. He didn't comment as he got something out of the food bag he dropped earlier. Once she quieted, he spoke up.

"So I guess you saw it," he said, motioning towards the magazine that was still on the floor.

Both mages looked at each other in confusion before turning to the Exceed. "What you yapping about?" Gajeel growled.

Lily handed the book to the pair. Hands shaking as she grabbed it, eyes stuck on the cover. Not realizing her hands were moving, the pages opened to revealing candid shots of the two together.

"Oh no. How did this happen?" Lucy's voice trembled as much as her hands.

"Its worse than that." Lily warned them. Gajeel looked sharply towards his feline companion. "Move to the next page."

Doing as he asked, Gajeel suddenly felt Lucy turn into dead weight in his arms. He just about fainted with her. The photo left very little to the imagination. But right behind the shock came the rage. There was only one person that could have been behind that particular picture and probably all the others as well. Lucy might not be his preferred mate, but for now she was officially his and that made her his responsibility. _'That bastard would pay for this'_.

Plans for bloodshed were quickly moved to the backburner as the train started to rumble as it continued on its destination home. Panther Lily got up to take the blonde, but only received a growl instead. "I've got her for now," the dragon growled. He was furious that he failed to protect her when she was in his care, and he wouldn't be making that same mistake again. He adjusted a bit so he could keep hold of her while dozing to handle the motion sickness.

Lily raised a brow and went back his seat, snagging the magazine with him. Settling in to read it, maybe he could get some clue as to what exactly was going on. Meanwhile the princess slept on with the slayer.

xxxxx

At Onibus, the group threw away their plan to split up. There was no point it in now. The train was now stopped, unloading all departing passengers. Looking over the pictures, Lucy ran the full gamut of emotions.

Shock, _'How could this happen'_.

Disbelief, _'This has to be a dream; no, a nightmare.'_

Anger, _'We were so stupid to think we wouldn't be seen.'_

Hatred, **'** _ **Gods, she's such a whore.'**_

"She?" Gajeel asked.

"What?" Panther Lily turned his head to the two.

"You said 'she'," Gajeel grunted over at Lucy. She wasn't paying much attention, her gaze riveted on the most graphic picture of them together. Her eyes blazed with hatred.

"Can you believe that bitch? She just took him like he was a thing. She always thought she was so much better than everybody else since she has all that money and that fancy house. But she's really just as worthless as her name is nowadays."

"Bunny, you going nuts or something?"

"And him. Not surprised to see him there. Once a dark mage..."

Panther Lily and Gajeel both looked at each other in concern. What the hell was going on?

"Lucy, do you understand what you're saying?" Lily asked.

"Such filth. Disgusting. World would be better without her. Both of them." Lucy practically glowed with hatred for the pair in the picture.

Lily yanked the magazine away from her. But Lucy still sat there with fire in her eyes. Gajeel grabbed her shoulders and shook, "Snap outta it." Nothing changed. She slapped her, nothing hard, put shocking just the same. Still nothing.

She started grinding her teeth, snarling as the rage bubbled on. "They must be punished for this, and not a simple death. They deserve so much worse."

She was so far pulled in, he wasn't sure what could bring her back from this. He's not sure how it started but he could smell the spell tainting her. However they had something stronger. His eyes moved to the mark on her neck. It was starting to look a bit lighter. _'Was it already fading?'_

Slowly he lifted his hand, tracing a circle around the bruise. He was careful not to touch it, but getting close to it should be enough.

Lucy closed her eyes and let out a shuttering sigh. She blinked a few times, coming back to herself. A hand reached up and grabbed Gajeel's, pulling it away. "What was that?"

"You started losing it. Talking about killing us." He motioned to the magazine that was laying to the side.

"It was so weird, like that charm spell from Bora. It started slowly, building off what I was already feeling. Then it hit and I couldn't do anything other than what it wanted. It was screaming at me to hate them...us. I didn't even realize it was me I was talking about." Lucy was talking more to herself than her companions. She was shivering as the emotions were still there, just below the surface.

"Do you think there is a spell on the picture? Is that even possible? It has to have been copied multiple times before printed in the magazine." Lily was now looking over the photograph for clues. "There. I can barely make it out, but if you put it to the light just right, I can see a rune." He held out the page, pointing to the corner. "And there's another one."

"That has to be one hella strong spell to still have this much of a punch in the end." Gajeel muttered. "We'll take it to Shrimp and Freed, let them figure it out." He moved to wrap an arm around his still shaking friend, providing what little comfort as he could. The group settled down as the train started up again, finished with onboarding.

About 30 minutes later, the group heard the call. It was faint at first. A few minutes later, it became clear enough to understand.

" _ **Gajeel! Lucy! Lily! Can you hear me? Its Warren. We have serious situation here. You have to talk with the Master. Now."**_


	8. The Arrival

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 8 – The Arrival

It was lunchtime at the guild. Some of the mob mentality had settled down, but there was plenty of it still boiling under the surface. Suddenly the doors opened with a slam. Anybody paying attention would have been able to see the dark cloud of smoke in the distance, but all gazes were drawn instead to the figure standing in the opening.

Lucy held her head high, straightening her shoulders under the cloak she wore to hide the rest of her. She was already warned about the mood of the hall and she was shaking terribly on the inside. Her nerves for the mission with Gajeel were nothing compared to what she was feeling now. But they had a plan. And she had her own agenda on top of that. She remembered when she told Gajeel about how she was willing to sacrifice anything for the good of her family. However, she just didn't think it would actually come to that.

Pushing past the tremors, she walked in. They had all been expecting Natsu, as he was the only one to not arrive yet. Seeing Lucy left everyone deathly still. Like a jaguar, lying low and waiting for the right moment. All they needed was just one movement from her and they would strike.

She looked over the crowds until she saw the face she was searching for. Walking towards the table, eyes all on her, she could feel the evil intent rolling off the guild members. She was practically suffocating on the hatred.

"Well she sure does have some nerve showing up here again" Cana said, surprisingly sober.

Murmurs followed her steps. She could hear them, as they were not really making any attempt to be polite.

"Slut"….."Bitch"….."Whore"….."Cunt"

Continuing on her path to the table of Team Shadow Gear, Lucy ignored it all. She had to. She still needed to get her part done. She knew that the second she lost her focus, she would break down. _'Keep it together, Lucy'_ became her mantra as she took step after step.

Master Makarov sat at his usual place on the bar, proud of how she was able to withstand the comments thrown at her. There was an occasional chair or bench pushed in her path, attempts to trip her up, but she gracefully dodged the attacks. Now more than ever, Lucy proved to him that she was worthy of the guild mark on her hand.

Jet and Droy stood once they realized the blonde making their way towards them, protecting their petite team member. They had spent the morning trying to get the bluenette to talk with them, but she didn't even acknowledge them. Levy had seemed practically catatonic since she saw the photos. She only looked over the article once then closed the magazine, leaving it face down. Since then, she had barely even blinked, let alone moved. No emotions crossed her face. They weren't even sure if she was hurt or angry. She was just blank.

Levy herself wasn't even sure what she was. She kept playing that scene over in her mind from weeks ago, watching Gajeel enter the private train compartment with a blonde. She also recalled those scenes with Lucy from before she left. How Mira said she was seen at the guild early, acting flustered. Had there truly been something going on all this time? How could she be so blind? Of everyone, she should have been able to see it. Her best friend and the man she loved; she should have known.

And now, she was torn. Should she be happy for them because they are happy together? She should be angry and try to win him back? Should she just say good riddance to them both? What did she do next? Without talking to them, she wasn't sure what steps to take. Was this a longstanding star-crossed lovers type of thing or just a spur-of-the-moment fling? How is she supposed to know what to do without information to back it up?

Her internal battle was put on hold as she started listening to the rest of the guild that morning. Yeah, there was shock, but the outright hatred they were throwing out was unexpected and really uncalled for. She could feel the rage, like a heavy blanket pressing down on her, making it hard to breath. Pushing her own problems aside, she spent the rest of the morning observing the guild, her family. Something was wrong here. Once or twice she tried to catch Makarov's gaze, but he never responded in kind. However he didn't seem to be under the same influence; more like he was waiting for something to happen.

Now, watching Lucy come closer, the anger from before started up again. But Levy could wait and let cooler heads prevail. She'd let the blonde speak first. Then she would...well, lets just see what she has to say.

Lucy unclasped her cloak, letting it fall to the floor as she walked those final steps, revealing her outfit (another "gift" from Virgo). Black leather pants looked painted on, riding low enough that it was obvious to all she wore nothing underneath. The top was an ivory strapless corset, satin loosely bunched over her bust, the rest in brocade, ending just below her rib cage. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. It was actually kinda modest compared to her usual attire...sorta. But it wasn't the clothes that mattered. The skin it showed was the main event.

Her neck and shoulders were a testament to the rough lovemaking they all assumed she was having with the slayer. Love marks, bites and scratches graced her neck and shoulders, some going down her back and could be seen extending all the way below her pants. There were even a few visible hickeys along her lower abs and the v of her hips, clearly revealed to all.

Levy's eyes were wide as she took in the marks. Before she could say anything, Lucy pushed the two "guards" aside and spoke.

"You seem surprised. Can't imagine why. I'm a Heartfilia and we always get what we want. You have to admit, I was nice; I waited first. You were so pathetically obvious, so I gave you a chance to stake your claim on him. But you just didn't have the balls to do it. So I did. He was powerless to resist me. And now, he's all mine."

The crowd gasped. Yes, they'd all seen the pictures and had their extremely harsh opinions, but they didn't expect her to just come out and admit it like that. They certainly didn't expect her to be proud of practically being a home-wrecker.

"A dragon only mates once. And this mark is the proof that he's mine forever now." Lucy tapped one of the visible circles on her neck. "Hmmm...or was it this one?" She pointed to another mark on the swell of her breast. Hands then slowly made their way south. "Or is it this one here?" Her fingers ended on her leather-clad inner thigh, moving in a circle as though rubbing another mark there.

"Besides, a big man like him needs a woman who has...more to offer" her other hand came up to brush across her breasts, fingers stealthily reaching in to remove the hidden vial, keeping it hidden in her fist. "Not like you'll ever be able to beat this. Go get some implants then try again, Shrimp." Grabbing the magazine, she moved to the dreaded page. "And look over this for some pointers if you want any chance of keeping him or anybody else satisfied."

The whole conversation, Levy took in confusion. None of this seemed like Lucy. But that last jab pissed her off and looking at the photo again, she was consumed with rage. Levy lunged over the table to grab the length of hair. Yanking back, she slammed the blonde's head down on the table. Quickly the tables and chairs disappeared as the bluenette tackled her friend to the ground. Straddling her, Levy continued beating on her, slap after punch after slap to the other's face. Occasionally grabbing her hair and slamming her head back on the ground. There was no plan, no strategy. Just the need to hurt, plain and simple. She was so far gone, she never even thought once of using her magic.

The others moved towards the one-sided fight, ready to get their own licks in, but Makarov held them off. This was their battle and not for others to interfere. However he did make a nod towards Warren who after a few seconds left the building.

Lucy let her get her punches in, avoiding only the worst ones, like when Levy managed to pick up the broken bottle somebody rolled over towards them. She deserved it. She had ruined Levy's happiness and any chance they had at ever being friends again; letting her wail on her a bit was the least she could do. She deserved to be punished. The feelings from the train ride started rise. She started feeling the hate for herself again and she almost gave up on the whole plan right then. Would it really be so bad if she just let them have her, let them tear her apart? She was filth. She destroyed everything she touched. She shouldn't still be alive. Neither her nor Gajeel. _'Gajeel!'_

She remembered what she had to do; her secret from the rest of the group. She had to clear Gajeel from all wrongdoing, make sure he had a chance after this was all over to get his life back. None of this was his fault and he shouldn't have to pay for it. Steeling herself with that goal in mind, she put her hands on Levy's shoulders, fingers sliding the secret vial inside her sleeveless dress and then shoved her feet into the petite woman's stomach, launching her into one of the sideways tables. "That's enough," came a disembodied voice.

A flash of light led to Loke arriving, helping his master to her feet. The others were bound to gang up on her and she would need the help, especially after that pounding. As it was, she couldn't open one eye and blood was pouring from her lips as well as a gash on her left cheek. He growled at the damage. He knew this was a possibility when they discussed the plan, but that didn't me he had to like it.

"Princess, I would be honored to escort you from this place," he stated, trying to make light of the situation. They were in trouble. The strongest guild in all of Fiore against one lone mage and her spirit. This wasn't going to be pretty. Hopefully Makarov would step in if it came to that.

Lucy wanted the help. She wanted to just curl up and let him carry her out of here to safety. She was hurt pretty bad with all the times her head was slammed on the ground. But Lucy still needed to keep the act up. Just enough to get out of the building.

"Why not. Not like I need it though. Just pests here. Nothing to worry about." Lucy slid back into character, using all her strength to stand tall. With her most faithful spirit at her back, she haughtily made her way back to the entrance, head high as before. _'Just a few more steps, and you're done,'_ she encouraged herself to continue as the dizziness pounded through her skull; she couldn't let on how much this pained her.

"Hey cheerleader, if you were going to spreading your legs, you could have at least included some of us," Bickslow came from the side. "You can't be that picky if you put out for that Phantom Lord trash."

Lucy's foot smashed into stomach along with Loke's fist to his face. "All of you listen up. You can say what you want about me, but I will not stand for any of you talking Gajeel that way. He has done nothing to deserve this treatment from you." She turned, ready to walk out, only to be met with Erza and MiraJane blocking the doors. Loke pushed his master behind him in protection. But the kind of damage they had in mind there was no protection from.

"Lucy, you are a shame to your nakama and an embarrassment to your family." Mira started.

"We have made many attempts to turn you into a decent wizard, but you constantly fail to meet expectations." Erza continued, sword requiping into her hand. Lucy stepped back. She knew the warrior mage could be frightening, but she didn't even process that thought as she concentrated on the words. _'Is that really what they think of me.'_

"And now with this most recent incident, you have left us with no choice. Your actions as well as your words here today have proven you are not worthy of Fairy Tail. I demand you withdraw from the guild at once." The red-head pointed the blade directly at the duo.

Lucy started shaking. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed see Levy, slip her the potion then get out. Why do her plans never work out right? Loke stood firm, growling. Things were quickly getting out of hand.

"Erza, stop this at once." Makarov called, making his way over. He knew it would eventually come to this, but he thought they had a bit more time so Lucy wasn't forced to see it.

"No, Master. She must be expelled from the guild. There is no telling what secrets she's willing to hand over in exchange for sex." Mira spoke up, her voice filled with hatred. Eyes looking over Lucy as though she was something filthy found on the bottom of her shoe.

Lucy started breathing heavy, trying to stay calm as her world crumbled around her.

"I refuse to remove her guild mark and as master, my word is the final decision on the matter," the Master spoke firmly with his children.

"That's not true." All heads turned to Levy. She was looking at the small bottle in her hand. Realizing everyone was looking at her, she moved it behind her back and continued. "Clause 37 of the Guild Charter states that any decision of the Guild Master can be overruled by 90% vote of its members. We have enough members here now to make that decision." She looked around the room. "All in favor of expelling Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail." She raised her hand high.

All the hands in the room raised, not one hesitating. Lucy turned around and watched them all. All the hatred aimed at her. They all looked so proud to be part of kicking her out. Loke reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. He could see she was about to collapse, nearly hyperventilating with how she was breathing.

Left with no other choice, Makarov made his way to the celestial mage. "I'm sorry, my daughter." Taking her hand, he waved his above it, clearing it of its mark. With the loss of her mark, Lucy could feel her magic level drain out of her and she dropped to the floor. Picking her up, Leo pushed his way past the S-Class mages and out into the city.

Lucy tried, she really did. Tears were coursing down her face but she held in what she could, hiccups coming out instead of sobs. But today was just too much for her. She closed her eyes, just concentrating on breathing. So its not surprising that she didn't notice when Loke pulled into a nearby alley, lowering down towards the ground. Nor did she feel the hands touching her face, healing her injuries. However she did hear that condescending voice.

"Child, don't waste your energy on her. She must learn to deal with her problems on her own now."

Lucy looked up to see Wendy along with Charle and Warren. "Oh Lucy. Warren told me everything. I'm so sorry."

The cruelty Lucy could face, but this single act of kindness was her undoing. Slamming into Wendy, she released all the pain and let her anguish pour out as what little was left of her family looked on.


	9. The Arrival, Pt 2

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 9 – The Arrival, pt 2

Master Makarov watched the guild doors shut. Erza and Mira walked back to their normal spots. He kept an wary eye on them, noticing how calm they seemed now.

"Master, we need to talk," Levy came up from the side. She was still upset but quickly calming down.

Lifting his hand, he motioned for her to hold on a second as he continued to watch. Erza sat down at the bar, diving back into her strawberry cake. Mira was back behind the bar, wiping down the counter. All their previous hostility was gone. In fact, the entire guild was back to normal. None of that anger from before remained, leaving the air lighter, easier to breath. And on top of that, every single one of the magazines had disappeared.

Erza looked up at Mira. "I hope Lucy returns from the Celestial Realm soon. Natsu has been more reckless than normal without her here."

Mira grabbed a nearby mug to clean. "Those two are so cute together. I can't wait til we start seeing lovely pink haired babies, 33 of them." She squealed a bit in happiness. Erza smiled, used to her friend's behavior.

Makarov looked to Levy. She was affected the least by the spell. Would she be the same?

Levy, however was livid, mouth was hanging open in shock. "What are you talking about? After what she did!"

"What do you mean, Levy?" Mira asked, her head tilted slightly to the side in confusion.

"She...umm...well, she...what was it," the bluenette's voice wilted as she tried to remember why she was angry. She knew it was something bad, no horrible. _'Why can't I remember?'_

"Nevermind her, ladies. I think she's just had too little sleep last night, staying up with her books again." Makarov reassured the S-Class mages and quickly ushered a befuddled Levy up to his office, locking the door behind him.

He gently pushed Levy down into one of the chairs and took one of her hands, showing it to her. Looking at the blood and bruises, Levy's memory came crashing back. But it was fuzzy. She could remember everything, but there was like a haze over it all, as though looking through a dirty window. Definitely a tell-tale sign that a spell was in work.

With wide eyes, she covered her mouth. "Oh Mavis, what did I do?" Jumping out of her seat, "I have to find Lu-chan. I have to apologize and then bring her back so she can get her guild mark back..." Levy's flight to the door was halted by a large extended hand.

"Levy, sit down. We need to have a talk. I wanted to wait and have Natsu here as well, but with this new development...well, let's just start at the beginning, shall we?"

xxxxx

Levy sat back as she considered what she was told. "So I understand the mission they were on and how those pictures came to be. But why the performance today? Why not just explain to everyone what happened?"

"That was my call." Mavis's voice chimed in. Both looked over to see the ghostly form appear. "The ones behind this apparently had a specific goal in mind. We had to work with what hints were given us. Obviously the spell on the photograph was meant to take everyone's shock and anger and turn it into rage against the two.

"I had thought the intent was to have both Lucy and Gajeel kicked out of the guild. However based on how everything went back to normal, it looks like Lucy was their true target. If Lucy had managed to convince the guild to let her stay, our enemies would know their plan failed and they would run. We must continue down this path to discover their true objective."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But what about this?" Levy held up the red potion vial.

Makarov looked at it in confusion. "I have no idea. Where did you get that?"

"Lucy slipped it to me while we...well while _I_ was fighting her." Levy looked guiltily at the ground. How would she ever apologize enough to make up for how she behaved towards her best friend.

Taking the container, Makarov opened it and took a whiff. "Hmm...rose essence, honey, chili pepper... I believe this is a lust potion. I know they used potions before the meeting with Orc's Knuckle." Stoppering the vial back, he returned it to the spell-script mage. "I believe this is Lucy's way of explaining what happened in those pictures, letting you know that what happened with Gajeel only happened under the influence of this potion. I think this, my dear, is her apology to you."

Levy just lowered her face into her hands and cried. She had to find a way to make this right.

xxxxxx

Natsu woke up this morning in the same place he woke every morning, in Lucy's bed. Face down, he breathed in deeply, trying to get some of her smell from the pillow. But it had been 3 weeks since she's been home and her scent was fading.

He hated having her gone. Its like everything was monochrome without her smiling face to add color to his world. _'Gods, that sounds so sappy,'_ Natsu sneered at himself and moved out from the blankets. He was, not surprisingly, filled with the need to do something manly to get his self respect back after that thought. _'A good fight at the guild should fix that.'_

Leaving his little buddy to continue sleeping, Natsu decided to take advantage of Lucy's awesome water pressure and take a shower before he headed out. With the steam filling the room, he leaned back into the spray, relaxing under the stream. With eyes closed, he opened the nearest bottle. The room filled with the smell of vanilla and cinnamon.

He quickly opened his eyes and looked towards the door, expecting to see the woman of his dreams. Seeing the still empty bathroom, he looked down towards his hand and realized he grabbed her bottle by mistake. Having her smell so fresh, along with the steamy warmth of the shower made Natsu remember the incident from several months ago.

xx

It had just turned dark and Natsu decided he was going to go crazy if he didn't have some of Lucy's food to eat. Happy had decided to stay at the guild, wooing Charle, so he was on his own when he broke into her apartment. Founding it empty, he was about to start looking through the open underwear drawer "looking for ninja masks". _'Yeah right,'_ he snickered to himself. _'I can't believe she still thinks_ _that's_ _why I look through here.'_ Shaking his head, he noticed the mist rolling in from the open bathroom door.

What hit him first was the smell. The previous week he confided to her, after much prodding, that she smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. Apparently she managed to find a body wash that smelled the same since the scent was so strong. Hoping to catch a look of the buxom blonde in one of her itty bitty towels, he crept up to the door. He really wasn't expecting what he saw.

Not stupid enough to look away, he watched as her hands slowly moved over her arms, spreading soap bubbles along her golden skin. Her head leaned back, eyes closed, catching the falling spray. First it seemed like she was actually just showering, but as her movements slowed and became more targeted, he quickly realized being _clean_ was the last thing on her mind.

Breathing heavily, he watched as her hands slowly started pleasuring herself. Leaning back against the shower wall, she was clearly in no hurry, fingers moving leisurely. Her moans were as slight as her movements, but to his ears, they were screams.

Natsu doesn't know when his own hand started stroking himself, but he couldn't seem to stop the movements, keeping the same slow pace as the object of his desires. Having one of his fantasies come to life before him, he wasn't surprised that he finished first, biting into his scarf to mute his groans.

However, glad to get the head start to run and change his clothes, walking softly to the window. He was partially out of the opening when he just managed to make out a soft cry as she reached her own relaxed climax, her throat sighing out only one word. "Natsu."

xx

Natsu chuckled as he remembered how he was so shocked that he literally fell out the window, scaring a stray dog that was digging in the nearby trashcans. He had then quickly ran all the way home, thankfully the then dark night helped hide him and his stained clothing.

That incident had given him months of wonderful dreams, usually ending with cold showers or fresh shorts. But he hasn't been able to be around Lucy anytime she mentions the word _shower_.

Now, however, the memory just added another pull on his chest, to go along with the many he already had every time he thought of her being gone. With a heavy sigh, he placed her bottle back on the shelf, grabbing his own so he could finish washing.

Coming out of the bathroom, Natsu looked around for a clean outfit. He was actually pretty shocked to see how Lucy's apartment had managed to look like a twin of his own home now that he was here non-stop. Clothes strewn over every inch of carpet, dirty dishes and takeout containers littering the tables, chairs, couch, not to mention the overly-full sink. _'Luce is going to kill me when she gets back...maybe I can get Lisanna to come clean up...and I'm hungry.'_

Plan in mind (food, then fight, followed by food, added with beg Lisanna to save his life from a vengeful Lucy, and finally food), Natsu headed out to the guild. He left Happy still sleeping on the comfy bed. He'd been pretty down too with Lucy gone and sleeping more than usual. Plus he'd know where to find Natsu when he woke.

It was mid-morning, the town was pretty much all up and about. While walking, Natsu started to think once again about his problem. He loved Lucy. He wanted her as his mate. He wanted to have sex with her, badly. She was physically attracted to him, enough that he was pretty sure she mirrored him on the wanting to have sex issue. Other than that, he was drawing a blank.

Having her gone these weeks just cemented in his mind that he refused to go without her ever again. When she got back, he was going to talk with her. _'And say...what exactly?'_ And that's where he was stuck. He had no idea how to proceed from there. Lucy was important to him in so many ways; if she didn't feel the same way, he didn't want to scare her off from even being friends. He just didn't know what to do. Natsu sighed as he saw the guild hall coming into view.

"I just don't know what to do." came a trembling voice. Normally he would ignore random conversations, but the sound of a female crying was a trigger. He never was very strong against tears. Looking over across the street, he saw two females walking the opposite direction. Checking them to ensure there was no physical harm and finding none, he moved to continue on to the hall.

"I can't believe he doesn't love you. You two are perfect for each other. You've been best friends for years, so moving on to this next step should be easy," came an outraged voice different from the first. Must be the second girl. Natsu's head jerked around, watching the two turn the corner. He quickly set out to follow them, wanting to hear more of their conversation.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm reading it wrong. Maybe he doesn't even like like me. Maybe doesn't see us as anything but friends," Girl 1 stated glumly.

"You know that's bull; you remember how his roommate told us he caught him jerking off, saying your name. So we know he wants you. Why are you so worried about this?" Girl 2 was clearly frustrated with her skittish friend.

"Because I'm scared. He is my best friend. What if we start dating, then fight over something stupid and break up? How could we ever be friends again after that? I would rather not try than even risk that."

"Alright stop. First, How many times have you guys fought before? Have you ever stopped being friends, no. So why do you think it would happen this time. Yeah, it may be awkward if you do split up, but you'll get over it because you both value your friendship more.

"Second, think about it. You're best friends. That means you'll get along better than most couples do. You already know so much about each other that its very unlikely something small will cause you to fight and call it quits like it does with others.

"Third, other than having sex, what exactly is going to be different than how you are living right now? Nothing. You guys are pretty much already dating, you just don't do any of the fun stuff. I know for a fact he'd go ape-shit if you ever hooked up with anybody else, so he already sees you as his. Just take the plunge and get it over with. You'll feel so ridiculous afterwards when you think back on how much you're stressing over this." Girl 2 was pretty winded after that speech.

Natsu had to agree with everything she said, though. It was interesting hearing his same problem, just from a different perspective. If he really thought about it, he couldn't see a dating relationship between him and Lucy being any different than their current one. And their fights never lead to anything major. Actually he kinda like it when they argued. But their friendship superseded everything else. That was paramount.

"So what do I do? I've been waiting for him to make a move, but so far, nothing."

"You are waiting on him and he's waiting on you. How's that doing for you so far, hmmm? Just tell him."

"Are you serious? Shouldn't there be more to it?"

"You know each other so well, you already know the best way go about it all. You just don't realize it. Think it over. Do something that is just for him, something he enjoys, even if you don't care for it. It will show him that you think of him and what he likes. That will help put him at ease. And really other than just saying it, I really can't give you any other advice. Tip-toeing around it just really isn't your guys' style. In the end, regardless of how you say it, its just important _that_ you say it. Everything will fall into place after that."

Natsu stopped following the two as they headed off towards the shopping district. He mulled over her words. Was it really that simple? But what to do that is just for her. Lucy doesn't really have a passion for anything other than bathing and her friends. ' _Well the stars too, but she sees the stars as her spirits and her spirits are her friends, so its all the same. Hmmmm...'_

He didn't notice how his feet continued moving as he pondered. When he passed a newsstand, a magazine caught his eye, freezing him in his tracks. Grabbing it quickly, he threw money at the vendor and sped off to his home in the woods.

xxxxx

Happy woke to the late morning sun casting shadows across the room. He recalled his dream with much glee. In it Charle had finally accepted his piscine offering of love...well actually she said no to the fish, but she professed how pleased she was with how much effort he took in it (for which he had crossed scorching deserts, climbed treacherous mountains and forded raging rivers to obtain). He truly believed this dream was the key to his beloved's heart. The gift didn't matter as much as the danger involved in getting it. So he needed to go look for extremely dangerous fish to bring back. Maybe a shark or an orca...or even better, a crafty crappie from the nearby canal. Surely that would win her heart.

Looking around, Happy realized he was alone. It was close to lunchtime meaning Natsu had to be at the guild eating, so the Exceed quickly made his way there. He started thinking about what job requests he remembered seeing on the board. Were any of them by the sea? Hmmmm...he'd probably need to be on a boat and Natsu didn't do boats. Maybe he should ask Levy to research special and dangerous fish. Its possible one could be found in a nearby pond. That would definitely be convenient.

Entering the hall, he immediately felt the tense atmosphere. It was actually a little difficult to fly, so he sent his wings away and walked. He could hear some of the conversations, but not really understanding what they were talking about. Whatever it was, they were all angry at two people, a man and a woman. Since it had nothing to do with him, he didn't worry about it and Happy started looking for his pink-haired partner.

Disappointed at not seeing him, he made his way up to the bar, planning on getting a fish from Mira, who was at her usual place behind the bar, talking with Erza. It wasn't until he hopped up to the counter top that he realized both women were in 'super scary' mode. They both were looking some of the many magazines laying across the bar. Trying desperately not to be seen, he quietly moved back, tripping over some of the books. Glancing at them, he realized they were all the same. Then the pictures on them came into focus. Eyes widening, he grabbed one of the magazines and flew off back to Natsu's house.

xxxxx

Happy burst into the forest home. "Natsu! Are you here?"

"Happy!" The dragon slayer came from the other room, smile wide across his face. "I decided. I'm going to ask Lucy to marry me!"

Eyes wide, Happy quickly shoved the magazine behind his back. "What?"

"I've been waiting for so long, but I know the answer now. I want her with me forever, so I just need to go for it. I saw this while walking to the guild and figured out how to do it." He lifted a magazine to the Exceed that's cover read "Best Honeymoon Locations – Private getaways for newlyweds." There were pictures of waterfalls, beach houses and picnics in open fields. Another section was what specifically drew Natsu's attention "Watch the stars from these isolated hot springs."

"So first, we'll go on a job near one of these locations, where I will be on my most best behavior, which will get her in a good mood for earning a full reward." Natsu was pacing back and forth, excitement for his plan pumping through his system. He hasn't been able sit still since the idea popped into his head.

"Umm, Natsu..." Happy tried to cut in.

"Then we'll hit one of these hot springs on the way back. They are set up like cabins with their own personal pool. We'll relax in the water while the stars come out. She'll love it." Natsu was off in his own world.

"Natsu, you have to listen to me."

"Then I'm going to kiss her. I'll let her know how much I've loved her and for how long. I'll tell her about how I want her with me for the rest of my life." Natsu slowed to a stop, his voice softening as he gazed into nothingness. "How I want to grow old with her. Sitting on a porch in matching rocking chairs, watching our grandchildren play, bickering about stupid things that old married couples argue about. I want memories with her, a lifetime of them. She's my life, my forever." A small smile come out as he imagined their future together.

Happy's eyes teared up as he watched his friend. He knew Natsu had been agonizing over this for a while, but hearing him so excited tore at his heart, especially after seeing the magazine he still kept behind him.

"Natsu. I have to show you something." Happy gulped. He didn't want to be the one to hurt Natsu, but he had to know. Paws shaking, he handed over the magazine.

Still riding his own personal cloud nine, Natsu's face kept its grin. Then he looked at the cover of the magazine. His smile fell, confusion covering his features. "What..."

Turning the pages, he couldn't even see the words as he looked at the candid shots of the couple out and about together, noting the when and where the pictures were taken. "I don't understand. This isn't possible. She wouldn't." His voice came out like that of a child, so scared and unsure. Tears had already started slipping down his cheek, though he didn't feel them. He couldn't feel much of anything.

Turning to the last page, his heart stopped. Everything else could be easily explained, could be something else. But this last one. There was no getting around it. There was no other possible alternative.

He didn't know whether to cry or rampage. He almost wanted to laugh at how it all turned out. He finally made up his mind and finds out she was out of his reach the entire time.

Hands burst into flames as he incinerated the magazine. Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt the power of a spell, but when the magazine disappeared, so did the foreign magic. But he didn't care any of that right now.

His skin suddenly felt to tight, his breathing sped up, like the air was too thick to get down. Everything was spinning. He had to get out of here. Rushing past his faithful companion, Natsu plunged deeper into the forest, trying to run away from the image in his mind.

Just as suddenly as he started, he stopped, falling to his knees. Throwing his head back, he roared, time and again, releasing his anguish to the sky, incinerating the trees above him. Birds scattered and rodents scurried away, leaving the slayer to his misery.

Unable to get enough air to continue, he dropped his head to the ground, sobbing in agony. Hugging his arms to himself tight enough to bruise, because he knew if he didn't, he would explode. Anger and sorrow were filling him up and he was drowning in them, unable and unwilling to save himself.

The snap of a branch pulled him away from the darkness in his mind, brought him back to the world of the living. Turning, he watched the figure walk out from the copse of charred tree remains. Black boots, a cape and lots of metal studs met his eyes.

"Salamander. We need to talk."


	10. The Confrontation

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 _ **A/N: Super thanks to everybody for the kind words in your reviews of last chapter. I was really touched. **still wanting to tear up****_

 _ **SakuraStar1862—I would love to write Bleach but...i'm like so far behind on it, its sad (like episode 40 of the anime and just now starting the manga...yeah-pathetic). Just haven't had the resources to get caught up. However I'm working on it. I'll get there eventually.**_

 _ **Sorry about the delay on the update—watching 8 kids during the week is just a bit draining...especially when you aren't paid to do it...**_

Chapter 10 - The Confrontation

Gajeel walked carefully through the forest. He knew Natsu was here somewhere. Well, the large cloud of smoke as well as the screaming roars were a bit of a tip-off. He already knew what he was walking into. Knowing that Salamander can use his emotions to empower his magic and with how angry the fire-eater was right now, there's a good chance he wouldn't live through this "talk".

That thought brought a chuckle from the iron dragon slayer. It was about time he got into a proper fight. With everything that had happened, he really needed to release some steam.

After talking with Mavis via Warren, the plan made sense, but it still sucked. Both of them were to go and piss off their better halves (well lesser half in Bunny's case), doing what was needed to ensure everyone would want them gone for good. That apparently was the goal of the baddies and they couldn't disappoint them.

Gajeel didn't mind too much. He knew he could withstand whatever Natsu and the guild dished out, having already been at the receiving end of their hatred when he first encountered the guild. But Lucy would crumble under that onslaught. She shouldn't have to suffer when it was his fault in the first place.

It still grated on him how he failed to protect Lucy during on this mission. If he had done his job properly, he would have sniffed out the person following them and stopped those pictures from being taken. Hell, if he had been more of a man and just done what was needed without the lust potion, Lucy wouldn't have wound up marked. Yeah, it was just an accident, but it was his accident. All of the blame could only be placed on his shoulders. So he really wanted that fight as penance as well as burning off his own self-loathing.

Shaking his head, he continued onward, noticing how the trees were starting to look burned. 'Must be getting closer.' With each step he took, the more intense the damage became, to where once mighty oaks and maples were reduced to ash and sticks barely standing in the ground. And at the epicenter sat the fire dragon slayer.

He expected to find him angry. Instead, the he found him on the ground, keening in misery. This was not a man filled with jealous rage. It was soul mourning the loss of its other half. Gajeel remembered everything he told Lucy about Natsu's feelings towards her, but he didn't realize...Natsu was truly in love with Lucy, more than anybody knew. _'And he doesn't know we aren't truly mated. He thinks she out of his reach forever.'_ That changed everything.

Gajeel had come into this forest expecting, no needing, a good, angry fight. But that was out of the question now. Seeing the man he had started to think of as a younger brother so devastated, he couldn't bring himself to cause him more pain. He knew he needed to follow the plan in order to protect the guild, and more importantly Levy, but he maybe just outright attacking him wasn't the answer this time.

Stepping forward, he drew his attention. "Salamander. We need to talk."

Lucy had managed to calm down. Looking to the few friends she had left, she stood.

"Thank you, Wendy, for healing me."

"I didn't plan on it, but my sky magic removed all the 'marks' on your shoulders" Wendy blushed profusely at needing to talk about the hickeys that previous covered the blonde. The female dragon-slayer was years older than when she started with the guild, but with the short leash Charle kept her on, its not surprising how naive she still remained.

Lucy looked down and saw she was correct. Thank goodness. She didn't look forward to walking around looking like a harlot. "That's great. Thanks again. So you both know everything, right?"

"Yeah," said Warren. He tilted his head slightly, raising his fingers to his temple. After a moment he turned back to the others. "Looks like Levy knows the truth now and apparently the spell has lifted. Nobody even remembers you walking into the guild earlier or ever seeing those pictures. I bet if we looked, we wouldn't be able to find them on any of the newsstands. Also Lily has secured the safe house and Virgo has finished moving everything."

"Good." Looking over to Loke, she continued. "I need you to take me out to Gajeel and Natsu."

"That wasn't part of the plan, Lucy. Are you sure you want to do this?" Loke asked worried. He knew what she was doing. She always took the blame for everybody else. And now, she was going to take on Natsu's resentment as well so it wasn't directed at Gajeel. She really did put too much of herself out there to protect her friends.

"I'm sure. He shouldn't have to do this alone."

Loke nodded with a sigh.

"You guys, go ahead and return to the guild. We'll need as many eyes inside as we can get. I'm going to get Gajeel and then return to the safe house." The others nodded.

Taking Loke's arm, Lucy vanished.

Natsu tried to get angry, but there wasn't any anger left; there was just nothing. "Go away," he turned his back on him.

"I know ya don't want to talk with me, but you have to understand that things aren't what they seem."

"I don't care."

"We didn't plan on this happening."

"Go away." His voice regained a bit of feeling, but still nothing that could be considered angry. Apparently Gajeel wasn't trying hard enough.

"It really was an accident."

"I said leave." Now he just sounded annoyed.

"Besides it will fade in time." _'There that should be enough for him to realize what is going on.'_

"Get out of here," Natsu was gritting his teeth, but still he wouldn't release his anger.

Gajeel huffed in frustration. He really isn't making this easy. Time to really push it.

"Never realized Bunny Girl was a screamer. Damn near broke the windows." Gajeel chuckled, watching the red aura begin to glow around the fire-eater. _'Now that gotta response.'_

"And man does she thrash around when she's cummin'. Probably need to tie her down next time. With that maid of hers, I'm sure she'll be into it."

The force of Natsu's aura exploded, forcing Gajeel back a few steps. _'That's more like it.'_

But just as suddenly, the power died out, leaving the fire dragon looking even more drained. "I don't want to hear it. Just leave me alone...please." Natsu lowered his head into his hands, trying to block out everything.

After a few moments, he could smell Gajeel coming closer. _'Why can't he just leave?'_ As the steps came within reach, Natsu turned, arm swinging towards the approaching mage, fist aflame, yelling, "Just get away from me!" Then he noticed the blonde hair and soft gasp.

Lucy walked over towards the slayer, shooting an evil glare over towards her temporary-mate. Loke dropped her off just seconds ago, in time for her to hear Gajeel's last few remarks. _**'Was that really necessary?'**_ she mentally sent to the slayer, ignoring the fact that she was basically the same with Levy not an hour ago.

He just shrugged in response, arms crossed as usual. _**'Levy knows the truth now.'**_ she added. _ **'And something weird is going on at the guild. We need to get to the safehouse and regroup.'**_

Gajeel jerked his head sideways, motioning that they should go. Lucy responded to the silent request. _**'No let me talk with him for a minute first.'**_

She walked up to her partner and best friend. She needed to at least explain to him. Once she was close enough, she reached out towards him with her now mark-less hand.

"Just get away from me!" came the sudden yell followed by Natsu's fiery punch. Lucy gasped and flinched, hands moved to block the blow. But it never came. Peeking a look, she noticed saw Natsu on the ground, iron log still punched in his stomach.

Natsu was able the strike down just a bit, but it was enough for Gajeel to take him down before he hit the blonde. Now sitting on the ground, he watched her, glad she was back

Gajeel's heart nearly stopped as he watched the flame brain swing at her. They may not be actual mates, but that didn't mean he would be able to handle it if she was hurt. For that somebody would definitely pay. If he hadn't pulled back at the last second, he wouldn't have been able to save her at all.

"Stay down, Salamander." Grabbing a frozen Lucy's arm, he stomped off, pulling her with him.

Lucy herself wasn't able to think past a single thought. _'He really tried to hit me.'_ Years of trying and failing to sneak up on him taught her that Natsu always knew when she was behind him. He had to have known it was her and still he attacked. _'He's that angry with me. He'll never forgive me after this is over.'_

Heartbroken, she hung on to Gajeel as he led her away from the ashen forest.

An hour had past since the duo left, and Natsu still lay back on the ground. He played it back over and over. How could he not have known it was Lucy behind him. He always knows. But all he could smell was iron breath.

A memory had been tugging at him, but he kept pushing it back as he tried to work through this problem. Unable to think of why this happened, he gave up and let the memory surface.

"Natsu, its time you learned about mating," a gravely voice shook the ground of the cave. Natsu loved the sound of his voice; it always made him feel safe.

"Sure thing, pops," he replied happily. He really wasn't sure what Igneel was talking about, but he didn't understand a lot of the things Igneel talked about, so what was one more?

"There will come a time that will fall in love with a woman."

"Why would I do that? Girls have cooties." The young boy jumped up, huffing

"...And if she is the right one, you'll want to mark her as your mate." Igneel continued on, ignoring his son. He was used to every conversation they had going like this.

"Like with paint?"

"...To mark her, you'll need to bite her during an orgasm, tasting her blood."

"What's an organism? And blood? Yuck."

"...At that time, she will have a mark of intention which is temporary. Her smell will disappears, so others can't find her. And only your scent will remain since she will belong to you."

"So she'll be part of my hoard? Will she be shiny? Or, ohhh sparkly!"

Igneel sighed and carried on. "...You will have one lunar cycle to decide if she is meant to be your mate. You only get one mate in life so you must choose correctly."

"Are you done yet? I'm hungry"

"...If she is the one for you, you'll finish the ritual by having sex. Both of your scents will change to be a mixture of the two and each couple will share certain powers. Its different for each couple."

"Hey look at that snake! Its huge!"

The dragon gritted his teeth. _'Naturally it would be my son that's the idiot.'_ "...If she is not for you, then you must simply wait for the mark to fade. Her scent will return to normal and you are both free to look elsewhere for mates."

"Hey lets go swimming." And the small boy ran out of the cave, shouting in glee as he made his way towards the lake, clothing flying in the air.

Natsu shot up as the words played around in his head, both from Gajeel and Igneel.

" _things aren't what they seem... an accident... it will fade in time... a mark of intention, which is temporary... Her smell will disappear... simply wait for the mark to fade."_

Lucy wasn't really mated to Gajeel. That's why he couldn't smell her. _'It was just that mark of invention thing.'_

Natsu growled when he thought about how that mark got there. Metal face deserved a mouth full of flames for that one, but he could live with it if it meant Lucy could still be his.

He needed to talk to her, now. Getting up, Natsu ran faster than he ever could. He couldn't let her go now that he had his chance back. The ground sped by as he made his way into town and towards her apartment.

Flying up and into the open window, he slammed to a stop at the sight before him. Everything was gone. Walls bare, floors littered with nothing more than bits of debris. And there, in the middle of the room were two bags, tied shut.

He had a pretty good ideas what was in them before he opened them. A look inside verified what his nose already told him. It was all of his stuff that had previous been strewn across the place in Lucy's absence.

Looking around, it was as though she was never there. Even what little remained of her smell this morning was gone, only leaving trace of stardust that he usually smells with Virgo.

Leaning back against the wall, he slowly slid down as the weight of it all hit him. She was gone. He had a chance if only he had talked to her. Instead, he just sat there and let her leave. And now, she was gone, possibly forever.

Something reflecting the light caught his attention. Looking forward, he noticed the one item she left behind. Sitting on the sink of the bathroom, in full view of the sunlight coming through the window, was the new bottle of body wash she purchased that smelled of vanilla and cinnamon.

 ** _I know this isn't how everybody wanted this chapter to go, but there it is. Not really my favorite chapter either. Oh well, more story to come._**


	11. The Protector

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 _ **Long A/N: So first-many apologies for being gone for so long. I did originally have a very long but happy tale of where I had been and why (consisting of a trip to Florida—which I didn't take, Sailor Moon Drops, two seasons of GoT followed by Hobbitses/LoTR, the entire Mercedes Thompson book series, and then multiple seasons of Charmed), as well a pretty good chapter started...then while distracted by my vile children, an evil cat walked around on my keyboard. And when I got her off, I was presented with the words "Auto Recovery in Process" and my original file was written over with the one my kitten created that just happened to be missing about 800 words or so ... and imagining the kitten's head stuffed and hanging on the wall is not making me any happier. Maybe I'll put her in the travel carrier and leave her outside in the rain for a bit...hmmm...nope still not better. Well, anyway, I did my best to remember what I wrote. Hope it still turns out ok.**_

Chapter 11 – The Protectors

A dark-cloaked figure stood upon a nearby roof, watching the comings and goings of the brightly lit guildhall. The new moon as well as the magic-concealing cloak helped to hid her from the senses of those inside. The task was a simple one: protect. Night after night it sat nearby, watching over the mages inside. Some nights were like this one, quiet. Other nights brought the occasional dark mage that was either quickly dispatched or followed to back to its den where the lot of them met their end...well, actually they were just beat up and left for the Rune Knights, but the other way sounds cooler. Lucy smirked at the thought.

It has been nearly 2 months since she and Gajeel had returned from their mission. There had been a bit of tense moment when Gajeel first re-entered the guild. No one had been the wiser, except for Erza. She managed to remember something, but quickly wrote it off a bizarre dream, according to Wendy. What else could she think it was considering the content of those memories? Anyway, all is as it should be. Well except one extremely important factor. Natsu. He was nowhere to be found. That, however was a thought better pushed to the back of her mind. She didn't need to break down into another sobbing fit while on duty.

After all the drama when they first returned, the group (consisting of Makarov, Mavis, Levy, Gajeel, Lucy, Panther Lily, Wendy and Warren) opened the envelope from Draylen. Inside it verified that Lucy's wild guess from way back when had been correct. There was a bottled spell hidden somewhere within Fairy Tail. The Abyss Break that was contained by Delancy Roane all those years ago. Apparently the she had been a childhood friend of Yuri Dreyar and it was to him she sent the vial before she killed herself so long ago.

The envelope held orders for Garnet's Tears to use their spy to find this bottled spell, claiming it could be found within the original Fairy Tail library. Even with all the rebuilds the guild hall had endured, the vial should still be there because it is hidden within a book. However the envelope did not have any other information other than that the book would be enchanted to keep it hidden.

Lucy frowned. She still didn't understand. Why would they tell us what they were after? It became apparent that the entire trip to Clover was a set-up from the word go. Tira Misu, the actual master of Garnet Tears was found dead in her cell. The Council had no leads as to how it happened, and after all this time simply written it off as just one less dark mage to worry about.

So why have anything in that envelope at all? If it was all a ruse to get the guild looking for this dangerous spell, surely Orc's Knuckle would have attacked by now while its members were supposedly distracted. But so far, nothing. And since she had to stay out of site, Lucy is stuck on guard duty for the guild while Wendy, Warren, Gajeel and Levy look through the library for the spell, just in case there really is one lurking somewhere.

Well, there are some good things coming out of all of this. The mating mark between her and Gajeel faded, finally. There were a few more close calls between the two of them, but thankfully none of them were more intense than when the mark was first made. It helped that the two of them were almost never left alone together. Both by their own choosing and because Levy just didn't seem to trust them.

Although Lucy and Levy had a very moving reunion, filled with tears, apologies and forgiveness, Levy still never left Gajeel's side when the blonde was around, usually moving to stand directly between them. And Lucy couldn't find it in herself to fault her for it. She would probably do the same thing had the situation been reversed. Trust is just one of those things that once broken can only heal with time.

She hoped that was true of her and Natsu's relationship. Nobody had heard from him other than Happy coming to the guild to state that Natsu was going off to train before he disappeared with him. Lucy tried her best not to think about Natsu, but she couldn't help it. She replayed that day over and over in her mind. She knew that Natsu smelled her coming, and still he struck out. Sure he made an attempt to pull back, she could see that, but still. She always knew that when a person is angry, their first response is their true feelings, pushed out quickly before their brain-to-mouth filter has time to catch up. You want to know what someone really thinks of you, just piss them off. And she had truly pissed Natsu off.

Unable to think on it further, Lucy jumped down from her perch and went back to making rounds outside the guildhall. As she moved, she worked through the moves Panther Lily and Gajeel had been teaching her. She was definitely no match for a dragon slayer, but at least she was no longer the helpless damsel she was before this mess started. She could at least defend herself thanks to their teachings, if not hold her own for a bit if in a real fight.

After a few kicks, she sensed a bit of power coming from the east side. Moving that way, keeping to the shadows, she happened across a face she hoped to never see again. Draylen from Orc's Knuckle. Looked like Lucy was finally going to get some payback. But she wasn't stupid. Follow him tonight, then report back to Makarov. Pulling her magic-concealing cloak tighter around her, Lucy settled back to watch.

Levy closed another book with a small sigh. They had been at it for more than 8 weeks and still only just now got through half of the library. Not that there was so many books, but because each needed to be tested thoroughly for enchantments, visually searched for cut-outs that could hold a vial, as well as other possible spells, like if the potion was hidden in a picture or a spell written on the edge of a page. Basically, every book needed be searched page by page by page.

It was exhausting work, but they had a pretty good team working on it. Her, Wendy and Warren were in there every day. And Gajeel. And wasn't that a whole other problem. She didn't know what to do with him and it didn't help that it was just the two of them tonight, the others having left for the evening. Part of her wanted to keep him in sight at all times while another part... She groaned, laying her head down on the table.

Sure she was able to logically process what happened between him and her best friend. Once you sit down and explain it all, you can see the decisions they were presented with and how they chose to answer them. And she can even understand how the mark was an accident and saw how they worked to keep it from becoming a worse issue.

But logic never did have much sway on the heart and it was there that she was hurting. She just wanted to be so angry at them both. And it was just so much worse that the two of them were able to get past it and still be friends. Lucy and Gajeel had never been close before, but now it was almost like they were siblings...well step-siblings considering what they did together. Either way, they came out as good friends and she was jealous. Her head popped up as she grasped what thought just entered her mind. _'I'm not jealous of what they did; I'm jealous of the friendship they have now.'_

Thinking back, it was easy to tell when the mark faded. While it was still on them, the two were always a bit tense around each other, like they were trying so hard to ignore the other. Then one day, they were happy and playful as puppies, bantering and teasing, and just simply at ease. It was then that she started physically putting herself between the two, she belatedly realized.

Her own relationship with Gajeel had always been such a fragile thing. Each afraid of pushing too much lest it shatter. She was worried that coming on too strong would push him away, so she always waited for him to make a move, which rarely came. But with Lucy, he was just different. Its like the heavy burden he always carried with him was simply gone and she got to see his true self. And Levy hated that it was Lucy and not her that brought it out.

Levy gave a low growl. She really was angry. And tired and just fed up with searching for this spell that might not even exist. In need of an outlet, she zeroed in on the best she had on hand. Looking to Gajeel, who was looking back at her with a slight smirk and raised brow, she snapped.

"Well, have you found anything yet?"

The smirk grew. He always did like her more when she was fiesty. "No, ma'am."

"Then what use are you. Just go home." Levy got up and turned to get something from the next shelf.

Surprised, and actually hurt by how strongly she lashed out, Gajeel frowned and got up. Never one to show he was hurting, he simply walked out with his parting remark. "Don't wanna be where I'm not wanted. Guess I'll just go spend tonight with Bunny instead."

Levy whipped around at that, but only saw the door closing behind him. Leaning back against the book shelf, she covered her face with her hands and slowly slid down to the floor. She wanted to cry, but no tears came. She couldn't keep on like this but she didn't know what to do. And the only person she could think of talking to was a major part of the problem.

So instead, she sat on the floor, tearless sobs racking her body until she fell asleep there on the library floor. A ghostly image came into focus, hand gently running through the sleeping bluenette's bangs.

"Sleep for now child. We'll talk in the morning." And the green-eyed girl faded away.

The blonde ghost appeared next to the guild's current master, sitting on the empty bar, watching his children.

"They are starting to realize it," he told the spirit, eyes still on a small group, separated from the rest of the group, talking intently rather than enjoying the evening.

"Well, it was only a matter of time. Shame it took them so long. But now that they know, I believe the dark guild will make their move." Mavis also looked on at the small group as they stood and started making their way towards the two masters.

"I agree. Alert Lucy to be ready." Makarov took a final sip from his drink and set it down as the First faded away to follow his instructions.

"Master, we must speak with you." Erza stopped before him, followed by Gray, Juvia, Laxus and MiraJane.

"We have been talking and we believe there is something wrong with all of our magic." Grey added in. Juvia nodded behind him.

"I've been hearing from lots of our members about problems they've had during jobs, how missions have been more difficult to complete than they should've been. So we know its not just us." MiraJane looked worried.

"And I'm pretty sure you already know all this, old man." Laxus folded his arms. "So spill already."

Makarov nodded and jumped off the bar. He started walking towards his office. Noticing they weren't following, he turned back to the small group. "Well, you wanna know what's going on or are you going to stand there all night?"

Gajeel stomped off into the night. He didn't know what to do. Things have gotten so out of control. He thought once the mark was gone that the would be able to finally move things along with Levy. He had been practically giddy that day, knowing things were finally going to work out like they were supposed to for him and his Shrimp.

Then seeing how possessive she became when he was around Lucy those first days after the mark faded was a thrill. He loved seeing it and would egg it on every chance he got. Not only had it confirmed that there was still hope for the two of them (she wouldn't be so jealous if she didn't still care for him) but also she was just too damn cute when she got all huffy.

But lately its just been getting worse, more mean. Now he began to worry that things had become too broken to mend. Lucy was so certain that Levy had forgiven him for his actions when he was part of Phantom Lord. But what if she wasn't over it? What if all of this just added to the black marks he already racked up? There comes a point that you just can't come back from. Where even a saint couldn't forgive you. Had he finally reached that point with Levy?

He wanted to just talk it over with Lucy, but being around Bunny Girl is what caused a lot of his problems with Levy to begin with. And he stilled owed her a debt. She wouldn't have had all this happen to her if it weren't for him failing during their mission. The pictures, her losing her place in the guild, everything. Maybe its time he made up for some of it. Besides a fight sounded pretty good right now.

Heading back home, Gajeel planned what he would need for his trip. It was time to sniff out their missing dragon slayer and knock some sense into him.


	12. The Truth

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 12 – The Truth

Cana sat back in the chair, digesting the information. She wasn't sure what to expect when she was called to follow the group of Erza, Laxus, Gray, Juvia and MiraJane up to the Master's office, but this was pretty mind-blowing. Enough that she felt sick to her stomach.

She glanced back at the magazine on his desk. When he brought it out, she started to remember bits and pieces of that day; his telling of the story threw open the lock in her mind as she relived it, in all its gory detail.

Looking over, she watched Erza cry softly, Mira crying much louder, Juvia...well when isn't the rain woman sobbing buckets? Grey gritted his teeth, hands clenched into fists, released them then repeat. And Laxus just gave his usual "annoyed at the world" look.

"So what does any of this mess with Blondie and Metal Face have to do with why our powers are weaker?" he asked.

 _'Weak powers?...Yeah, I guess that's right. I just thought I was a bit off, we all are with Lucy and Natsu gone,_ ' Cana thought. Everybody had seemed down without the two members who are majorly responsible for making the guild lighthearted.

"Ah, well that's easy. Lucy is no longer part of the guild so your powers have lessened." Makarov answered simply.

"That makes no sense-" Gray started angrily only to be cut off by the Titania.

"Yes, it does." Everyone looked to the red-head as she steadied herself. "We become stronger as a guild, for every member we gain. The more powerful the member, the more of a boost we all receive. Should a member lose their guild mark, then we all feel the lack of that power. It was the same when Laxus was expelled from the guild. We just didn't notice the power loss as much because we were still adjusting to Gajeel and Juvia joining, then Wendy and Charle came soon after."

"So the answer is pretty simple. We need to find Lucy and bring her back into the guild." Cana stated.

"No. Orc's Knuckle planned on this happening. We must play this out and see what it is they are after. Warren, Wendy and Levy are working everyday in the library, looking for the possibility of the Abyss Break actually being hidden within. You are the only ones that know the truth and we must keep it that way." Makarov instructed. Resting his head in his hands, he gave a deep sigh.

"What happened to Lucy was one of the most painful things this guild has witnessed, and we must not let her sacrifice be in vain." The others nodded, ready to follow their master.

"For starters, Cana. We need a communication card from you." Mavis appeared. Confused, she pulled the correct card from her bag and handed it over.

"I'll take this to Panther Lily. He and Gajeel should be planning to leave soon to fetch Natsu. We will need him." And just as suddenly, Mavis disappeared. _'Kinda creepy how she can do that,'_ the card mage thought.

Unfazed by the ghostly First, Makarov continued. "Now, Erza and Grey, you will assist Lucy in protecting the guild."

"Wait—Lucy is still here?" Gray straightened up from the wall he was leaning on.

"Yes, I'm here,'" came a voice from the back of the room. None of them had realized the celestial mage had entered the same time Mavis appeared.

"Lucy!" Erza and Mira moved to embrace their near-sister. The blonde, however, jerked away, halting the two's actions. Cana raised an eyebrow, noticing a flash in Lucy's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Lucy looked down, fingers fidgeting with the buttons on her cloak. "I know that it wasn't your fault, but I don't think I can-just not yet anyway." The blonde kept her head lowered, not wanting to see how her words hurt her friends...and so they wouldn't see the anger in her own gaze. She knew it was the spell. She knew it was all part of the plan. But she just couldn't help the bitter feelings that filled her.

It had been easy to ignore the anger when she didn't see anybody, when they didn't know what happened. But having them aware of the truth and seeing them right there before her, she had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out. And that thought shocked her enough to get her back to the present. Looked like she had some issues to deal with but now was not the time.

Shaking herself, she looked towards Makarov. "Draylen was lurking around tonight. He just seemed to be taking a look around, getting a feel for the area. I followed him back to a sleazy hotel not far from the train station. I didn't see signs of anybody else with him. He may just be scouting in preparation for others to come in."

"Very good. Laxus. You will take the Raijinshu and watch over the hotel, surveillance only. Don't tell them the details. Just let them know an enemy of Fairy Tail is there." Makarov started out his instructions.

Mavis, having returned, finished those orders. "Erza and Gray, you are to take over nightly guard duty around the guild. Keep an eye for any possible dangers. Juvia, you will assist Levy in the Library. The more eyes in there, the better. All of you are to look over this file and become familiar with Orc's Knuckle's key members. Keep an eye out for them as well as any other guilds that come lurking."

"What about me?" both Cana and Lucy asked at the same time.

"Cana, I need you to keep an eye on things in the guild hall itself. If you hear talk from others about their magic being weakened, distract them, get them thinking about something else. Also keep an ear out for anybody that has had run-ins with dark guilds." Cana nodded to Makarov, accepting her mission.

"Lucy," Mavis' voice was gentle. "You must go with Gajeel to retrieve Natsu; you have to be there to help convince our fire dragon to come home."

Lucy paled, mouth agape. As much as she wanted to see her best friend, she was terrified of facing him again.

"Don't worry about leaving until tomorrow after you've had a long rest," Mavis stepped up to place a hand on her shoulder. Her voice softly whispered in her mind, _**"You'll have plenty of time to figure things out before you get there. And trust me, he wants to come back to you."**_

Out loud, Mavis continued. "Gajeel should be leaving soon, and he'll need some time with Natsu first. Cana, can you create a tracer card that will track the communication card I gave to Gajeel? That way, Lucy, you don't even need to worry on which way to go. Just follow the card." Mavis smiled at the blonde. Lucy truly was one of her favorites here at the guild and she regretted the hardships she had to force on the celestial mage's shoulders.

"Understood," Lucy said, monotone as she was still full of shock at her task. Nodding she moved to the window and took off into the night back to the safe house.

The rest of the group broke up to complete their tasks. Mavis handed Cana a paper with the safe house's address on it and a time she should arrive tomorrow afternoon to help Lucy get ready for her trip.

Cana knocked on the door to the safe house at exactly 2pm, as instructed. After a moment, Lucy opened the door. Saying nothing, she waited for Cana to speak.

Holding out a card, Cana stated, "I have the tracer card for you."

"Thanks," Lucy said shortly, reaching for it. But Cana jerked it away at the last second.

"You could at least invite me in for a bit, seeing as you have been gone for over 3 months," Cana replied smoothly and wiggled her way past the door.

"Look, Cana, just give me the card and go." Lucy was trying to snap, but couldn't help it.

After everything happened, she was devastated, but behind that was just pure anger. She managed to bottle it up for these past weeks, act like nothing had happened, but now that they knew the truth, now that she finally had a target, Lucy just couldn't contain it any longer.

"No. I think we need to have a talk first." Cana sat down at the small table, leaned back and crossed her arms. She knew Lucy was angry at them, having seen it in the Master's office last night, and with good reason. But things were never going to heal this way. Enough was broken in her guild, with her family. It was time some of it got fixed.

"Look, I don't want you here. Give me the card and go away."

"Why are you so mad at us, Lucy?"

"Why!?" the blonde fairly exploded. "You guys just threw me away. I never even got a chance to explain anything. Why wouldn't I be angry?"

"It wasn't us. It was the spell, you know that."

"Yeah, the spell might have caused the worst of it, but it only worked on someone if they had a seed of anger to begin with. So that meant everybody in the guild was angry at us, at me, for what was in those pictures. Don't deny it." Lucy was furiously pacing back and forth, fists clenching, arms swinging. She barely contained the need to hit something.

"Yeah I was angry. Why wouldn't I be? It was like you lied to all of us and betrayed Natsu and Levy." Cana stood up, her own anger at the whole situation boiling.

"You called me a whore!"

"I thought you were one," Cana shot back. She didn't even get time to blink before Lucy's hand came in, slapping the taste out of her mouth.

Not one to be outdone, Cana backhanded her in return, sending the celestial mage reeling towards the wall. Lucy's hand came to her cheek as she slid down to the floor. The fight was, literally, knocked out of her. Bitter tears fell down her cheeks, dripping on the floor.

"I lost everything because nobody thought, even once, that it wasn't true."

Cana sat down beside her, pulling her into her arms, like a mother comforting a child.

"Yesterday, I saw Laxus kiss Juvia." Cana said quietly. Lucy's head popped up and a myriad of emotions flickered through her eyes-shock, disbelief, stunned realization of what that meant, sadness for Gray and Mira, then there it was, a spot of anger at their betrayal.

"Ah there you go, you just got angry. Its not true and had I given you about 30 more seconds, you wouldn't have believed it either. If that spell had given us that extra 30 seconds, we would have calmly waited until those pictures were explained. But we didn't get that time; Orc's Knuckle stole that from us. They stole you from us."

Squeezing her tighter, Cana fought to control her voice, but couldn't stop the tears. "You are one of the purest lights of Fairy Tail. You have no idea how miserable we've been without you there. I hate myself for helping send you away, but I hate them even more. They are who we need to be angry at. Not each other. You know we love you."

"I'm sorry, Cana."

"Me too...well not about hitting ya. You hit me first." The two girls chuckled a bit while their flood of tears finally broke.

From the bedroom doorway, Mavis looked on, a smile on her lips. There was much more healing needed to correct everything, but this was a start.

"So, Lucy. Now that we're back being friends and everything, I need some information. Is Gajeel really as big as he looks like he should be or are all his piercings just compensating for a lack elsewhere?"

It had been a few days since Gajeel left Magnolia in search of that insufferable flaming moron. He knew he was getting closer, the stench too strong to ignore. But damned if he knew what to do next. He was expecting a fight, but after that, what did he do to bring him back? Somehow knocking him out didn't seem like the best plan. As soon as the idiot woke up, he'd just run off again. He was going to have to use that stuff Shrimp talked about, tacks or something like that.

And during this long trip, he hadn't been able to do much of anything but think about that lovely midget he left back home. He knew she was still angry about everything, and she deserved to be. But how the hell did he make it up to her. Apparently teasing was out of the question, going off her attitude the night he left.

Bunny told him to just talk to her, being honest and shit. But that sounded way to girly. He knew how he felt but how was he supposed to explain it to somebody as smart as Levy. He would just sound stupid to her, a situation he put much effort into avoiding, usually by just not talking at all.

But there had to be some way to make her understand. A flash of an idea started in his mind, distracting him enough that he never noticed the flame-covered fist until it was too late.

Was it really so much to ask that everybody just leave him alone to wallow in his own self pity? Since leaving town, Natsu has been plagued by people left and right. People wanting autographs, towns needing help from giant rampaging hedgehogs, dark guilds that make that dog-guy look like a GMG champion...what was his name? Toby, Tommy, Franklin? Who cares.

Anyway, he just hasn't had any time to himself to think about how he majorly blew it. And Happy's constant prattling about how he missed Charle wasn't helping.

And to make it worse, Natsu knew what he needed to do. He just needed to go back and tell Lucy how he felt. But by the time he finally got a moment to himself to realize this, the time for the mating mark had lapsed and Natsu was terrified of going back and finding they decided to make it permanent. Gajeel had made it seem like that wasn't the plan, but what if his leaving pushed her away?

So what was he really doing? Hiding out, afraid of what he would find when he went home. And now, he could smell ole iron breath coming closer. This was not what he wanted to mess with today. Just wanting to get this out of the way quickly, Natsu started out to meet his fellow dragon slayer and send him packing...but why do that when it would be more fun to just beat him to a pulp.

Grinning, Natsu changed directions to circle behind his prey.

Gajeel was willing to let him get a few punches in at first, but things quickly turned violent between the two. Natsu letting out his rage over his screw up with Lucy and Gajeel working out his frustration over things with Levy. They mostly fought without their magic, just letting the anger flow as fists hit flesh.

Hours the slayers spent battling, neither talking, and neither really wanting to end the confrontation. Ending the fight meant having to let go of the anger. It meant having to get over themselves and actually start dealing with the problem. That was a bit more maturity than they could handle right now.

Lily and Happy just looked on, munching on their lunch, making small talk, playing cards.

Exhausted, the two slayers finally just fell down, laying out among the debris field of broken trees and busted rocks.

Gajeel managed to sit up, breath still a bit shaky from the surely broken ribs. "If you're done being a ass-hat, then we can talk."

This wasn't a talk he wanted to listen to, but it was time. Natsu missed home. Nodding, Natsu jumped to his feet, legs nearly buckling. "Let's get some food first."

A/N: So not the fierce battle everybody wanted, but like I said before, I'm horrible at action scenes.

Anyway, thank you to everybody who has read this tale. 190 reviews, 150 favorites, 315 follows. Not bad for my first story.

Lengthwise, I don't think I'm going to go over 20 chapters in total (let's say 25 to be safe), so 50-75% done so far. It's all downhill from here.


	13. The Retrieval

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 13 – The Retrieval

The late morning sun shined down on Lucy as she looked down at the card. The blinking light had stopped moving for a while now. Gajeel had only been stopping at night, so it must mean he found Natsu. That meant Natsu was just about half-day away. That meant she would see Natsu before nightfall. That meant she would see Natsu.

Lucy's feet stopped. Looking down she saw there was nothing stopping her from moving. But for the life of her, she just couldn't keep going. A simple thing really, taking a step, yet it seemed impossible. Sighing, she dropped to her knees.

True, after her talk with Cana, a major weight lifted from her shoulders. However that still left the cracks in her heart. And that was a more difficult to repair.

Cana seemed convinced that bare skin and seduction was called for. Lucy, surprisingly, was not as convinced.

Instead, she was filled with so many doubts. Mavis said he wanted to come back, but...

She had avoided thinking about this for so long. Those first two weeks after she lost her guild mark, Lucy was a mess. She couldn't barely blink without bursting into tears. She just lay in bed, refusing to talk to anybody.

It took Gajeel dragging her out of bed (with the help of a very cold bucket of water) and pushing her back into training that finally got her moving, albeit slowly. But it was his teasing and dirty jokes that got her head back on straight, letting her think of things other than Natsu. Eventually she became the master of compartmentalization, boxing up her grief to the back of her mind so she could function.

But her confrontation with Cana broke down one of those so carefully crafted walls. Being this close to Natsu was quickly eroding the rest of her reserves.

Memories started trickling in as the walls crumbled. Not those of their last encounter, though. Instead, it was of times Natsu saved her, times he held her while they slept, times he gave her that tender smile he saved just for her. Each bittersweet moment flooded her mind, reminding her why she needed to get up, to keep moving. To remind her of what she had been missing, what she would have to go without if she didn't get her ass in gear. What Orc's Knuckle was taking from her if she let them win.

Fingers tunneled through the grass as she curled her hands into fists. Eyes burning with determination and gritting her teeth, she stood up. With shaky legs she took one step, then another. She didn't even pause to acknowledge the victory as she kept going. Another step, and another, quicker this time. Slowly she started to jog, then full out sprint.

She wouldn't let them win!

2 hours later found Lucy crawling across a field, lungs close to bursting. She stretch her arm forward, trying to keep going and collapsed instead. Apparently running full-tilt was a pretty stupid thing to do. Not bothering to even try to move to a more comfortable position, she closed her eyes, letting exhausting take her under.

Gajeel munched on the rabbit. It wasn't a hearty meal, but it would work for the time being. He hadn't said anything yet, neither had Natsu. But he was going to have to start soon. He grunted. _'Might as well get it over with.'_

"About 3 months ago, Makarov sent me and Bunny on a mission to go undercover as a dark guild master and her dragon slayer lover/Fairy Tail spy."

Natsu's surprise at the words was followed by a small growl. Ignoring him, Gajeel continued.

"We were supposed to meet with another guild. During the meet, the guy demanded we prove that we were lovers by showing him the mating mark. That's where the picture came from. We had a plan to fake it, but didn't turn out that way. Neither of us wanted to be stuck with that mark." He grimaced. Now that the mark was gone, it thought of having those types of interactions with the woman he thought of as a sister was pretty stomach-churning.

"But it was all a set-up. They had people tailing us the whole time, taking pictures. Then the next day, our pictures are displayed in that magazine. There was a spell on the pictures that got copied over. The more you looked at the pictures, the more powerful the spell. And it was a pretty bad one cuz when Lucy returned to the guild, everybody turned on her and forced Makarov to remove her guild mark. They kicked her out and she's been alone this whole time."

Gajeel tried to continue, but a blazing fire ball of rage had jumped up and started walking back towards Magnolia. He smirked watching the footprints scorched into the ground grow further and further away.

"Shouldn't you tell him the rest?" Happy asked. He had gotten the full story from Lily in between bouts of Go Fish and Old Maid.

"Nah. Bunny will tell him. She's following us, so they'll run into each other before the day's up. 'Sides, he can smell we ain't mated and that's what matters."

Gajeel smiled softly, glad to see his fellow slayer's reaction. He wanted to see Lucy happy; she had become important to him with all this mess and she deserved it. Now he just needed to deal with his problems with Levy.

Then his smile turned into a full on grin when he realized the Salamander left behind his own cooked rabbit.

Natsu's rage was still burning strong many hours later. He almost went full dragon force as his thoughts ran away with him, but managed to hold it back. But now it was many hours later and his magic was running out. He was impressed that he managed to hold on so long, but since he was doing nothing but walking, it wasn't too surprising.

As the power continued to drain out of him, he got to the point that he couldn't even tell where he was, sight having failed him long ago. Pure exhaustion pulled at him until he finally passed out, falling to the ground to sleep off the magic deprivation.

Lucy had this dream before. A heavy weight across her waist. A warm breath against her neck. A hard body against her back. This was how it should be. This is how it was before she lost everything. It had been so long since she's had this dream. When she locked up her pain, she also locked up joy, her love, and thus the dreams no longer came. This was what she wanted.

Keeping her eyes firmly shut, she rolled over, nuzzling into the silky scarf she knew would be there. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled his scent. That smokey tang she yearned for. She felt her body loosen, releasing the stress that had been there so long she no longer noticed it. This was what she wanted.

Moving one hand up, she pulled the scarf out of the way. Stretching, she placed her mouth against the skin of his neck. Tongue lazy, she slowly licked the exposed flesh, teeth biting down ever so gently. This was what she needed.

Natsu had this dream before. Supple curves pressed against his hard muscles. Silken hair tickling his cheek. The knowledge that he was the only one that got to hold her like this. This was how it was before he lost everything. This was what he wanted.

When he thought he lost her, Natsu fought to keep these dreams from coming. It was just too painful. He didn't want to remember what he had. But hope returned with his brief talk with Gajeel and thus the dreams were back.

He was content to lay there forever, just this way, never moving. But she moved instead. She did that sometimes in her sleep, tossing around with her dreams. She turned to face him, snuggling into his chest. He loved her this way too. His arm had moved down to her hips, fingers itching to grab hold. But he wanted to keep it this way for now.

He had plenty of _those_ dreams about her, but for this first one, he wanted to keep it peaceful. Then he felt her tongue on his neck, teeth gently nipping. His eyes shot open at the sensation.

Looking around he realized it was dusk and he was laying in a field. Then he remembered why. Gajeel, fighting with him, talking with him, storming off. A scent drifted in, pulling his attention to the figure pressed up against him. Vanilla and cinnamon.

She was here. It wasn't a dream. He started to get excited about that when her teeth bit in more forcefully, causing his body to shudder. She pressed her curves up against him. His itching fingers finally got permission to grab onto her hips as she started rocking against him slightly.

Her arms raised, fingers tunneling through his spiky locks, pulling his face down to hers. She still had her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, Luce," he whispered.

"No. I don't want to wake up." She pulled his face down to her and kissed him, slowly, softly. Their first kiss. It was perfect, except for the fact that she didn't know it was real.

Lucy heated up the kiss, making it more urgent and Natsu followed. He wanted this for too long to be strong enough to stop it. But there was that nagging in the back of his mind. _'Not here, not now, not when she doesn't know.'_

But that voice was a bit difficult to focus on, becoming a slight buzzing that was easily ignored in favor of sinking into the pleasure she offered. Quickly clothes had become rumpled and out of place, hands running underneath them, fingers grazing what had been seen before but never touched.

"Mark me, Natsu. Make me yours," Lucy's voice begged, eyes still closed as she ran her teeth over his now exposed nipple.

Natsu was barely holding onto control, but those words froze him. ' _No this isn't right._ ' The buzzing in his mind finally became full-fledged screams.

"No," he pushed her away, jumping back from her. He had to put distance between them. He had to be strong. He wanted this so badly with her, but he would do it right. He wanted this, but he wanted to be married to her first. She deserved more than just a rutting in the dirt. And he sure as hell wasn't going to do anything when she thought she was dreaming.

His mind was still wrapped up in his own thoughts and clearly his brain-to-mouth filter was shut down from his own lusts when he spoke next. "I don't want this with you."

 _ **Sorry for the short chapter, but seriously, how can you not end it there?**_

 _ **So to answer asked questions:**_

 _ **1-I believe there are times Juvia is a crying mess, but to be honest I've read so many fics that my line between canon and not may have blurred so maybe not. But in the end, its pretty darn realistic that she would do that often (like every time Gray rejects her, doesn't eat food she made him, talks to another female, etc...)**_

 _ **2-As to why Lucy can still see Mavis, its because simply Mavis wants her to. Lucy is still Fairy Tail, through and through. Her heart and soul belong to the guild. Not having the mark doesn't change that, thus she can still interact with the First.**_

 _ **Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed.**_


	14. The Fury

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 14 – The Fury

Lucy isn't sure when exactly she woke up and realized this wasn't a dream. Some time after the first kiss, but before hands started wandering. But none of that mattered. He was here, with her and that's all she needed to know.

Pulling away from the kiss to catch her breath, she moved to start kissing her way down his chest. Reaching his heart, she knew what she wanted more than anything right then. She wanted to be his. She wanted everyone to look at her and just know she belonged to Natsu.

"Mark me, Natsu. Make me yours." She could hear the pleading in her voice, but pride be damned. This was what she needed more than anything. This was what would make all the pain from the last few months mean something.

She barely understood his initial response of 'No' so shocked by his body suddenly jerking away from her.

"I don't want this with you."

Before, she would have been hurt. Tears would burn in her eyes, chest aching with the rejection. She would have thought of how stupid she was to think he wanted her. Then embarrassment would have flooded her system, turning her face and neck a bright cherry red as she realized how foolish she appeared, molesting her best friend like that. She would have eventually pushed the feelings down, not wanting to make Natsu upset by seeing her cry and act as though she was caught up in some sort of weird dream.

That was before, before these 3 months of torment. Before she lost everything. Before she had to sit back and watch as her friends threw her away. And now, having the one thing she wanted most in this world finally within her grasp and being denied...' _oh hell no!'_

"What?" Any normal male would have been instantly terrified by the lethal tone of her voice. And if looks could kill, Natsu would have been 6 feet under. She was not going to let this go. He was going to explain himself or suffer. But to her surprise, Natsu was pacing back and forth, muttering and completely ignoring the fuming blonde.

Lucy's boiling anger moved down to a simmer while she tried to catch what he was saying. Only a few things were clearly audible.

"...hot springs...under the stars...ask properly...need a dress...Erza will want a cake...there was something else...what was it..."

She had no idea what the hell he was talking about and decided to just concentrate on what she could, being pissed that he was ignoring her in all her righteous anger.

"What are y-" 

"A church! You need to go church first!" Natsu exclaimed, cutting her off. His smile wide, pleased with himself for remembering that final piece of his plans.

Lucy, however, took this statement under a somewhat *ahem* different context. Her dwindling anger exploded into a full-blown rage as she jumped up and slugged him, knocking him off his feet.

Poor Natsu rubbed his aching jaw and then grinned at the celestial mage, proud of how strong she had become. Poor, sweet Natsu never saw the foot coming at him. Poor, sweet dense Natsu only saw stars then all was black.

Happy floated along happily, following the scorch-marked footprint trail. Gajeel and Panther Lily decided to take a detour to Kunugi, which just happened to be nearby, and left Happy on his own. They even offered to haul all of his and Natsu's stuff.

He didn't mind being alone though. Lucy would be at the end of this trek, and having Lucy around meant Happy got fish. So off he went. It was getting pretty dark out, but Gajeel was certain they weren't too far away, so he kept going, dreaming of the types of fish he wanted to get.

Happy cleared the hill just in time to see Lucy's foot make contact with Natsu's face, sending him up into the air just a bit before he fell and stopped moving.

"Those thunder thighs must pack quite a punch, eh Lucy?" Happy greeted the blonde, quickly flying to her. A quick but controlled fist boinked on his head, but he was already landing in her arms.

"What did you do that for?" Happy looked up, eyes swimming with tears.

"Sorry, Happy. He just pissed me off," Lucy hugged the Exceed to her. She had missed him.

"What did he do this time?" Happy purred, content with the snuggling.

"Oh just saying something about a church," Lucy evaded. Regardless of how old he might actually be, Happy was just too young to understand some things.

"Oh, so he told you about the wedding?" Happy was now on the ground, rooting around in Lucy's pack for food.

"Wedding?" Lucy looked quizzically at the feline.

Happy just sighed."Yeah, a wedding is usually done in a CHURCH," Happy stretched out the word in case the blonde had trouble understanding.

Lucy's face was one of the weirdest he had ever seen and he'd seen plenty of weird ones. He just sighed again. Apparently he was going to have to explain it with small words.

"Yeah. He is going to take you to a hot spring to look at stars, and then he's going to ask you to marry him. Then you have to do all that stuff like getting a dress, getting a cake, tell people to come to the CHURCH," again, said slowly, "where you say some things and ta-da, you'll be married. Natsu had this all planned for quite a while. Actually it was just before those pictures came out." Happy tilted his head, looking up at her shocked face.

Lucy was beyond shocked. Poleaxed is a better word. Natsu wanted to marry her. Enough to even plan out a romantic proposal. So why...

"But we were kissing and stuff then he said no," she was still struggling to put it all together.

It was so hard on Happy to be the only one around with a brain. "Wow, Lucy. Even I know you're not supposed to do that stuff until after the wedding. Explains why you don't know what a church is for, though."

Happy didn't really get a chance to say more as he was punted into the atmosphere. Luckily, Lucy aimed towards Magnolia, so she was certain he would show up at home...eventually.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy sat down next to the unconscious slayer. Her anger had finally given way to slowly building warmth in her chest. Natsu wanted to marry her. He wanted her to be his forever.

When she and Gajeel had made their promises to fight for the ones they loved, she never imagined this was waiting for her. She thought at best she would be able to get some dates out of Natsu, but left it open after that.

Just as long as he knew how she felt about him, it was enough for her, even if it never became anything more. Having him as her friend and by her side was enough.

Now it was looking like after this nightmare with Orc's Knuckle was over, she would finally get her happily ever after.

Gajeel left the music store, accomplishment pushing a grin on his face. His purchase would delivered in about a week to Magnolia. It was pure luck that following Salamander lead him this way.

Getting Levy to forgive him and move on was going to be a near thing, their relationship near broken. He knew he would never be able to say everything he wanted to her. He just wasn't brave enough for that. But there was one way he could get his feelings out in the open and not come across as a bumbling idiot.

For the first time, the heavy burden of guilt didn't hold him down. He actually had a plan and was eager to get home and get started on it.

But as much as he was willing to walk, remembering what Lily was told by Mavis, he knew he would need to hurry home, especially with his detour. Thus what good mood he was able to feel plummeted as he eyed the oncoming mode of transportation.

As the train came to a stop and the passengers exited, Gajeel caught a scent or two that seemed familiar. Looking towards the first cars, he saw 4 men get out and start into town. While the scents were only vaguely known to him, one face stood out. It was one of the patrons from the karaoke bar he and Bunny went to. That guy was one of the ones egging them into that kiss.

As that memory came in, his brain caught up with the other scents. He smelled them all, one time or another while they were in Clover. These had to be the ones following them, taking those pictures. It finally made sense why he never caught on that they were being followed back then. It wasn't just one person, but a group taking those pictures.

A low growl left him as he covertly followed the group. But easier said than done with a man of his size. Quickly explaining to Panther Lily, he sent the Exceed up to the air to follow them as he moved into a nearby alley, pulling out the communication card.

Zapping it with a bit of magic, the tarot design changed to show the guild's card mage looking a bit off. "Yo, Drunk! Get the old man. I found some of Orc's Knuckle here in Kunugi." Cana's face managed to not show any reaction besides a slight widing of her eyes. That's when Gajeel realized she was sober. Things must have gotten pretty serious while he was away to keep that one from drinking.

He experienced a few moments of vertigo as the card was walked around, the image of the guild moving as she swung her arms, giving him flashes of motion sickness.

He could hear a door shut and then saw Makarov with Mavis behind him. "We're here Gajeel. What's happening?"

"I'm in Kunugi. 4 members of Orc's Knuckle just got of the train and headed into town. I recognize them from Clover Town."

Makarov frowned over the information.

"Lucy spotted Draylen before here in Magnolia before she left." He filled Gajeel in on what he missed. "We've been watching him to no avail. He must be a diversion while their forces gather there in Kunugi. I'm sending Bixlow and Evergreen there now. They should arrive in a couple of hours. Keep an eye on things until they arrive, then get back here. We can't let them see you."

Gajeel nodded. He wanted to get back at these guys for taking those pictures and ruining everything, but he wasn't going to screw everything up just for that small pleasure.

"What about Natsu?" Mavis asked as Makarov moved out of picture to deliver his instructions.

"Salamander and Bunny should be meeting right about now. They'll probably start back in the morning. Should be back before tomorrow night."

"Good," Mavis smiled. "And you have the right idea on your plans for apologizing to Levy. Keep yourself honest and it will do the trick." And the magical image winked out, turning it back into a normal tarot card.

 _'That squirt's really creepy sometimes'._ Gajeel just shook his head. Jumping to the roof tops, he moved along them to where he could smell Lily. Time to hunker down and wait.

Levy got up from her seat with a sigh. This stack of books was done. Picking them up, she walked over to put them back on the shelf. Although she enjoyed looking through all the books in the library, it was starting to get a bit tedious. Especially since they still haven't found any sign of the Abyss Break spell.

After placing the books back in their proper place, she moved down to the next shelf. Pulling out a few, she decided she could handle one more. Not really paying attention she reached for the next one to add to her stack, and her fingers went right through it.

Shaking her head, Levy was certain she just missed it, being tired as she was and tried again. And again, only met air. Now the book got her full attention. Only for her see that there was no book there.

She must really need a break if she was imagining books. With a sigh, she pulled her eyes back to the stack in her hand. But there it was, right in the corner of her eye. A book with a teal cover. Turning to look at it straight on, it disappeared again. ' _What in the world,_ ' she was quickly becoming irritated with this vanishing book.

Much trial and error later, Levy had figured out the trick. The book would vanish when it your attention was on it, but if you weren't looking directly at it, it was clear as day and solid too. Time to put all that trying to the test.

She tilted her head away from the volume and moved her fingers to the red book next to it. Pulling at the red book, she moved it a bit sideways and succeeded in knocking the elusive teal book off the shelf and to the floor.

With a cry of triumph, she reached for the fallen book, only to have her fingers pass through the cover, again. "Dammit!" she yelled, pulling the attention of Warren, Wendy and an aghast Charle.

"The manners of everybody here is atrocious." the white Exceed huffed, going back to her book.

"What is it Levy?" Wendy asked, moving towards her fellow blunette.

"I think I found it." Levy stated in awe, looking at the title of the book. _A Sylph's Labyrinth by Yuri Dreyar. _

"I'll get Master," Warren said, rushing off towards his office.

Levy straightened up, moving to follow Warren. "And see if we can get Freed t—ahh!"

Wendy looked over to where the solid-script mage was with wide eyes. She saw it happen. One second Levy was there, the next she just disappeared, like she fell into a pitfall trap. Running over to where she disappeared, Wendy only saw an empty floor, a book lying open off to the side. Not paying attention to it, the sky dragon didn't notice as the cover slowly closed and the book vanished.

 _ **Was in a humorous mood when I wrote this, thus poor Happy was punished rather than the original way I had it. Still giggling over it.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading and to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed.**_


	15. The Labyrinth

_**Alrighty. Hello...so been gone for like forever. I finally got a job and all my time suddenly disappeared. I literally have 3 hours after I get off work to do everything I need to do (cook, force kids to eat, bathe kids, clean up, ballet classes and orchestra lessons) before the kids get in bed. And those few times I manage to get microseconds to myself...well those are spent reading Miraculous Ladybug fics. Yeah, I discovered that show and I just salivate at the possibilities. The quad-ship, oh the quad-ship. Anywho, since its been sooooooo long, I honestly forgot what my story was about, so this very short chapter might be a bit disjointed and not a bit proof-read. Enjoy.**_

 _ **I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 15 – The Labyrinth

Makarov looked over the floor where the solid-script mage disappeared. There was nothing out of the ordinary there. He noticed a bit of teal out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it when the sky maiden started talking again.

"Do you sense anything, Master?" Wendy was filled with worry over her friend. It was terrifying to see her just up and vanish like that, especially here within the walls of one of the safest buildings in all Fiore.

"No. Did you notice anything before?"

"No. She was upset about something, but I couldn't tell."

"I saw her acting as though she was trying to grab something that wasn't there. Was probably drunk, like everybody else around here." Charle injected in her usual sour manner.

The Third/Sixth's eyes widened at that. Then he recalled that bit of teal he saw briefly. He sent a look to Mavis, who appeared shortly after himself. She sent him a nod. Then a bright smile covered his face.

"Well, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure she's just fine." Makarov placed his hands behind his back and calmly walked out of the library, leaving a giggling Mavis, a stunned Wendy and a sighing Charle.

"Like I said, they're all crazy," the Exceed muttered, going back to her pile of books to inspect.

Lucy woke the next morning to find her favorite dragon slayer inspecting her right hand. She looked to it as well, mourning the loss of its mark.

"I should have been there, Luce. I should have stopped this from happening." Natsu's voice was wracked with guilt.

"No, it needed to happen. I'm not happy about it, but it served a purpose." Lucy reassured him. "Besides, its not like I won't be getting it back."

Pulling on her arm, he got her up to sit, hip to hip, facing each other. Leaning forward, he placed a small kiss on her lips. She tried to deepen it, but he pulled away.

"Gajeel...he told me some of it. But I need to hear it from you. All of it."

Placing her forehead against his, she sighed. "Okay."

And she told him, every single detail, from being called into Makarov's office to start this whole mess up to following Gajeel out here to find him. She told him how far things got between her and the iron dragon slayer and the guilt they both felt afterwards, knowing it wasn't their own desires but a potion first then the mark from then on. She told him of her tears when the pictures surfaced and having to face everybody at the guild. She told him of her depression after she was ejected from the guild and her uneasy relationship with Levy. She didn't hold anything back, not wanting secrets between them.

Natsu seemed to take it in pretty well. Often during her telling he would get up with jerky motions, pacing angrily. And then there were times he simply burst into flames. During other parts, he would stroke her arm, running his fingers through her hair, providing what comfort he could.

Afterwards, they were both quiet. Lucy wanted to ask what he thought. His expression was so guarded, so unlike him. The thought never crossed her mind to lie to him about what happened, but now she began to wonder if maybe she should have. Was the truth going to end them before they even began?

After another long moment, Natsu finally stood up.

"You said you saw that Ogre's Whatever guy just before you left Magnolia? That means things are going to start heating up at the guild. We need to get back." He started gathering what few supplies the two had gotten out of her pack.

Tears stung as Lucy swallowed a defeated sigh. It was over. She was stupid to hope that they could get past this. Of course he wouldn't want her now. She practically had sex with his near-brother, and was willing since she agreed to the job and it was her idea to use the potions. She couldn't blame him for not forgiving her.

Sorrow started to fill her, but she pushed it down. _'No. I will not do this. I knew this was a possibility and if I could go back, I wouldn't change what I've done.'_ It was all for the sake of her guild, her family, for Natsu. She would do anything for them, for him. She would not cry over the consequences now.

Gathering her strength, she stood up. Natsu was done getting the stuff together, shouldering her back. He faced away from her, she could she his torso move with his labored breathing. Quickly he turned and took a few furious paces to standing barely a breath away from her.

Fury blazed in his eyes, turning them golden. Angry fingers grasped her chin and pulled her face to his, crushing his lips against hers. It was hard to even call it a kiss. It was a branding, a claiming. Pulling away, his eyes continued to bore into hers.

"First I'm going to go kill all of those dark guild fuckers that did this to you. Then the rest of the guild and I are going to have a very long talk. After that, we are going away together. When we come back, you and I will be married and mated and nobody will ever even dream of hurting you again. You are mine Lucy, so you better have gotten all that out of your system, because I will be the only one to ever touch you like that from now on. Understand?"

Lucy could only nod, and even that was more of Natsu doing it for her than using her own power. Lucy could hardly think let alone move. He was so angry, it was terrifying, but it wasn't aimed at her. Her confusion gave her the courage to find her voice.

"You don't hate me?" Lucy managed to get past her dry throat. The tears she had been holding back finally broke. She managed to keep in the sobs but had to close her eyes. She couldn't let him see how desperately she needed his answer.

Rough fingers moved from her chin to her cheek, gently clearing away the tears. "Look at me, Luce" he whispered.

Opening her eyes, she let him see it all. All the fear and hurt she had built up inside. She couldn't hide anything from him.

"I love you, Luce. I could never hate you. No, I don't like what happened, but you had no choice in a lot of it. None of this is your fault. And I would never second-guess a decision you made to protect others. I will always trust you."

She couldn't keep back the sobs this time. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she cried into his scarf. For the first time, her tears were not in shame or pity. It was cleansing, a relief to finally let go of all the pain she kept holding onto. She let it all out, cleaning her dirty conscience and tainted soul. She could finally see an end to the misery she had to endure, all because she finally knew he was by her side.

When her knees failed her, Natsu simply scooped her up into his arms and started the trek back home.

Gajeel entered the guild, thoughts on finding Levy. He had his idea of how he would apologize to her, to explain, but he needed to find her first. Passing the crowds of drunken merriment, he moved towards the guild's library in the back.

Walking into the room, he immediately noticed that although the room still held her scent, she was no where to be found.

"Oi!" He yelled over towards Wendy and Charle. "Where's Shrimp?"

Wendy looked at her companion nervously. How exactly did she explain that Levy disappeared and Master didn't seem to care about it at all?

"Well, you see-" She started, only to be interrupted.

"Oh Gajeel. Thank goodness you've arrived. Levy is in danger. You must save her." Makarov called out, near the location where the bluenette vanished. Fright filled his words as he looked towards the oncoming iron dragon slayer.

"What do you mean, old man. What happened to her?" Gajeel stomped quickly towards the little man, intent on shaking an answer from him.

However, he didn't get a chance. Not two steps away from the diminutive guild master, Gajeel vanished with a yelp.

Makarov gave a small chuckle and looked towards Charle and Wendy. "Don't worry girls. Gajeel and Levy will both return shortly, and with the potion. Why don't you go out and get something to eat?" Then whistling, walked out of the library, leaving the two females to look at each other in confusion.

Gajeel looked around at his new surroundings. Stone walls, about 10 feet tall, mostly covered with moss, forming what could only be a long hallway. 'What is going on!' Catching a faint whiff of Levy, he started moving forward.

It didn't take him long to figure out he was in a maze. He'd found many paths turning left or right, walls never really changing in appearance. He kept on the path, following his intended mate's scent. After nearly 45 minutes, he finally lost what little patience he had.

Jumping to the top of the walls, Gajeel started running in the direction of her scent. Not long after, he was able to hear her. She was...what the hell? She's laughing.

Yuri Dreyar hadn't had guests in years. It took him a bit to remember proper manners and protocol. You had to offer refreshments, keep them entertained. All in all, it was pretty exhausting.

This female had been here for hours and he was most definitely ready for this visit to be done. There weren't many more stories he could regale his guest with. True she was laughing and having a good time, but surely she was starting to get bored by now. Didn't she want to go back home and get out of this book?

"So..." Yuri started, but dropped off. Honestly he was just out of things to say and hoping she would pick up the conversation.

Levy looked around the room for the millionth time. During all his stories she still managed to make a mental catalog of the items littering the area. There where shelves full of books, cases holding potions of all sorts, trunks overflowing with gold and gemstones, chests of spices. Furs and rugs filled a corner, tapestries on the furthest wall. This was truly a treasure trove. There was just so much here. But while her fingers itched to get at the books, it was the vials that needed her attention. One of them had to be the Abyss Break.

"Well, Mr. Dreyar, to be honest, the reason I'm here is to look for a spell given to you by Delancy Roane. I believe she gave it to you for safe-keeping."

Yuri looked puzzled for a moment while he thought it over. He had few memories of the woman. Being as that he wasn't the real Yuri Dreyar, there wasn't much there to recall. No, this Yuri was just a memory of the real one, locked in a book to watch over the treasures found by the real Yuri. But there were some shared memories there to recall.

"I know what you are talking about, but I'm afraid I can't give it to you." The blonde man stood up and began to clear away the dishes from their tea.

Levy stood as well, ready to debate and argue. "Fairy Tail is in danger. A dark guild, Orc's Knuckle, is coming for that vial. We need to ensure it stays safe." She couldn't believe it. She finally managed to locate the missing vial and he wouldn't give it to her. She couldn't let it slip through her fingers now. Fairy Tail, all of Magnolia depended on her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I just can't do that. You see, Delancy sent to vial to be destroyed, not kept. That spell has been gone for a long time." Yuri said as he carried the now full tray over towards the small alcove that held his kitchenette.

When he returned, Levy was still in the same spot, eyes wide as her mind turned over the news. If the spell was destroyed, then there was no danger to Fairy Tail or to Magnolia. It would be okay. Sure the dark guild could still attack, but chances of them taking out the guild, let alone the town, were slim to none. Magnolia would be safe. Fairy Tail would be safe. _Gajeel would be safe._

That last thought was what finally got the bluenette moving. Overcome with relief, she flung herself at the Yuri, needing to hug someone, to let out her joy. However, she definitely didn't expect the next voice she heard.

"Get your fucking hands off my mate!"

 _ **Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed.**_


	16. The Potion

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 16 – The Potion

Yuri sat back, watching the two mages argue, rubbing his sore jaw. After he stormed in, the giant one yanked the pretty blue-haired girl away from him then decked him. It was a cheap shot. He wasn't doing anything. It was the girl that hugged him, not the other way around.

While the room was still spinning, the shorty started laying into the giant. It was pretty comical. Yuri would probably laugh, if he still didn't feel like crying a bit. That brute had a helluva punch.

The two were practically stalking each other, pacing back and forth, getting in each others faces then pulling back to rant.

"I can't believe you just did that!"

"What else did you think I would do, seeing you all over some guy?"

"I wasn't 'all over him'. But even if I was, its none of your business!"

"Yes it is. You belong to me. Nobody else can touch you!"

"So what, you get to sleep with Lucy but I can't even hug somebody else?!"

"We never fucked and you know it!"

Yuri sighed. This was really getting out of hand. He didn't need to put up with this from a bunch of strangers that invaded his home. "Look, guys. I really don't know what your deal is, but its time both of you left. This is my home and I don't need your negative vibes."

"SHUT UP!" they both screamed back at him. He jumped and moved a few steps back, definitely not wanting to be a target again.

"You can't make decisions for me. I am not yours!" Levy yelled, grabbing the nearest thing to throw at Gajeel, just happening to be a vase.

Shattered pieces flew everywhere, the iron dragon didn't bother ducking. Levy never did have great aim.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Yuri yelled, coming up on the bluenette, exactly as she hoped. And as she knew, Gajeel stepped in between them.

"You stay away from her" he growled, arm already formed into a jagged sword. The two just glared at each other for a second when Levy peaked around from behind Gajeel.

"Look, you're right. We should leave. Could you please send us back?" She smiled politely. More than ready to comply, Yuri sent them back out of the book with a wave of his hand.

Glad to be rid of them, he looked around at the mess left behind of the busted vase. But as he turned to start cleaning, he noticed the cabinet door to his potion collection was open. And there was an empty spot. Right where the Abyss Break potion was supposed to be.

"Well, shit."

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It seemed to only be a flash and Levy noticed they were back in the Fairy Tail library. Mavis was sitting nearby, looking over an old photo album, while Wendy and Warren continued their search.

"Levy!" the young slayer exclaimed, happy to see her friend returned safely. She ran to her, engulfing her in as big a hug as she could. Mavis also left her book to move closer.

"We found it." Levy proudly showed the bottle to the First.

"Perfect. Now its time for all of you to go home and rest. I'll send this to the Third." The ghostly girl took the potion and faded away.

"I was so worried when you disappeared, then Gajeel when he followed afterwards. Are you ok? Do you need any healing?" Wendy was fairly tripping over her own words to check on her fellow bluenette.

Levy laughed slightly. "No, we're fine. I'll tell you about it later. But I agree with the First. We all need to get some rest. If that guild has been spotted nearby, we'll need our strength."

Wendy and Warren nodded, leaving the library. That left just Levy and Gajeel. She only half meant some of the things she said back there. Really she just was needing the chance to get up and look at those potions. Yuri might have said it was destroyed, but a treasure hunter like him didn't amass a trove like that by just getting rid their prizes.

"Look, I want to thank you for stepping between me and Yuri. I wouldn't have been able to sneak out the potion unless you were there. So thank you." Levy looked up at the iron dragon. It was hard to get the words out. Her pride didn't want her to be kind to him in any way.

"Shrimp, we need to t-"

"Not now, Gajeel," she interrupted, head lowered. "I just need some more time." She whispered the words, knowing full well he could hear anyway. Without looking up, she rushed past him and out of the room.

He sighed sitting down at the nearest table. Hopefully he didn't wait too long to try and fix things. Hopefully his idea would work, like Mavis said. Hopefully. Hope wasn't really something he put much stock in, but for this once, he could.

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Makarov sat at his desk, examining the vial just brought to him. It seemed so unlikely that such a dangerous spell could be contained by glass and a cork. But there it was. Unfortunately the only way to tell if it was truly that horrific spell would be to open it up. Not a good idea.

And now it was on him to figure out a way to destroy it, which would undoubtedly crack the glass which would release the spell and thus wipe Magnolia off the face of Earthland. Being Master sucked sometimes.

Giving a hefty sigh, Makarov moved the communication lacrima he kept in his office. He was going to have to call up some old friends for help with this one.

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Levy turned the pages and with a heavy sigh closed the cover. After these past weeks doing nothing but scouring over all the books in the Fairy Tail library, one would think she was tired of them. But she desperately needed the comfort books have always provided to her. Any time she had a problem in the past, she'd always been able to turn to the fantasies these pages held to take her mind off her problems, ease her pain, calm her down so she can think logically again.

However even these best friends could do nothing to help her. She had been trying all last night and again today, going from tome to tome, trying to find a release from her worries but not even her tried and true favorites were working. Her problems with Gajeel were so all encompassing that she couldn't even focus on the words.

And the biggest problem of all was that she knew the solution. Her pride kept her in her apartment, but her heart knew the answer. Gajeel has always been so slow in their relationship, now would be no different. If she wanted them to get past this, she was going to have to take the first step. She was going to have to go over there and apologize first.

Being angry with Gajeel and Lucy was just hurting all of them. She needed to let go of her jealousy and anger and move past it like everybody else was. And she was going to have to be the one to take hold of the reins of their relationship if she ever hoped to be with Gajeel. He certainly wasn't making any moves.

Levy scrubbed her hands over her face, then through her locks. She just needed to get over there and get it done. ' _Its simple. Go over there, apologize and ask him out on a—no, tell him we are going on a date.'_ She shook her head as she straightened out her plan, trying to mentally psych herself up.

"Here we go," she muttered as she got up and moved to the door. She looked at the handle, hand reaching out towards the knob. _'But what if he's tired of it all and doesn't want anything more to do with me'._ Panic froze her movements. What if he is done, what if everything is over before it really even started? She pulled her hand back as though the door had burned her. Heartbeat thumping loudly as she thought over the idea.

"No, surely not," she whispered, so unsure of herself. If he was done, then he wouldn't have been so possessive when they were in the book. He wouldn't have tried to talk about it after they got back. Her mind was just overreacting. She reached for the handle once again only to stop short again.

"What's wrong with me!" she shouted, marching away from the door, only to come right back in a angry pace. She repeated the route a few times, trying to beat down the darker thoughts.

"For real this time." Pushing through her doubts and pride, she yanked open her door with exaggerated flourish. And there on the floor was a small box. It looked to be a chest, a foot wide, almost as much deep and about half a foot tall. The chest was made of metal and the intricate designs molded into the iron clearly showed who the creator was.

Levy looked both ways down the hall, trying for a glimpse of the dragon or Exceed that had to have left it there. Kneeling she opened the lid, revealing notebooks inside. They're were about a dozen of them, all of them well-worn, folded corners, pages practically falling out. Lifting the first to her lap, she opened the cover, confused about what she was seeing. She glanced over it at first, but a section drew her attention and she read in earnest.

 _...It's in the starts_

 _It's been written in the scars on our hearts_

 _We're not broken, just bent_

 _And we can learn to love again ..._

The next few pages held the same words with accompanied music bars. There was so much that was written, scratched out, erased, side notes. Everything. This was Gajeel's work. His songs. She quickly moved forward to the next one.

 _...I am bound to you_

 _Suddenly the moment's here_

 _I embrace my fears_

 _All that I have been carrying all these years_

 _Do I risk it all_

 _Come this far just to fall, fall..._

Time seems to stand still as she moves from page to page, book to book. Songs of longing, of love. Some full of anger and need for release. Some simple and joyful, others dark and wrenching. For so long, she has wished that Gajeel would just talk with her, tell her what he's feeling, and here it is. His heart and soul laid out on ruled paper with pencil.

She doesn't know when the tears started, just that she doesn't care enough to wipe them away. When she finishes the last book, she looks to the side, noticing out the hallway window that the sun is setting. How long had she sat here in her doorway, crying over the words in these pages?

All of her doubts and uncertainty are gone. Now she has actual proof of how much he cares for her. There is no longer any need to steel her nerves. She just needs to stand up and walk. Carefully replacing the treasured books in the chest, she places the surprisingly light-weigh coffer in her apartment, locking the door behind her.

Her steps begin slowly, her mind still echoing with the words on the pages. She doesn't notice how she automatically heads for his apartment, rather than the guild. And she doesn't notice how her feet have gone from walk to run to sprint. All she knows is that she has to be with him, now.

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Gajeel sneers at the piano keys. No matter what he tries, nothing is sounding right. He knows the piano he purchased in Kunugi was tuned perfectly. That store was known for there musical expertise. And since it was a gift for Levy, he made doubly sure it had no faults. He had planned on giving her this exact piano along with his notebooks, filled with all of his songs and poems.

But after their last conversation, he wasn't sure if he should give them to her just yet...or maybe at all. It was starting to look as though they were never going to be able to get past this. If he even felt a bit of thawing on her part, he would heft the instrument there himself without a second's notice.

However, so far, she hasn't opened up yet and he wasn't going to tempt something so soul-revealing when it was sure to fail.

With a sigh, he let his head fall down on the keys, instrument giving an off-key plunk. It was just going to be a really bad week...to go with the really bad past 2 months.

Too wrapped in his own thoughts, he never caught the vibrant scent of sunshine coming closer. Lily, however wasn't so distracted. Looking out the window, he verified what he smelled. With a smirk he turned to his Dragon.

"Gajeel, you need to remember to thank me for this." Lily stated as he opened the door.

And there she stood, hand lifted up to knock. Normally he would just take time to observe her, revel in her scent, be calmed just by her presence. But instead he notices the watery eyes, smells the salt of her tears, hears her rapid heartbeat.

He gets up, ready to pulverize whomever hurt his mate, only to be pushed back down by the force of the petite woman barreling into him. Her arms wrap around his neck as she presses her lips to his. Eyes widened in shock while every thought left his brain, but he was still able to notice the chuckling Exceed leave them alone in the apartment, securing the door behind him.

Falling into the kiss, the iron dragon pulled her smaller body closer to his own, a nearly impossible feat. She hummed as she felt him close around her, swallowing her form in the safety of his arms. Despite all the passion bursting out of her, she kept the kiss slow and languid, relishing in simply being able to kiss him after all this time.

Finally needing air, she pulled away, speaking the words she has wanted to say for so long.

"Make me your mate."

Gajeel nodded, too befuddled to even grasp what she said, simply agreeing with anything. Once her words clicked in his brain, he pulled back needing to see her fully.

"Do you understand what you're doing, Shrimp? Because there is no undoing this. I will never let you go once you're mine." He looked into her eyes, needing to be sure she understood fully what was about to happen.

Her face betraying nothing, Levy stood up from his lap. Gajeel closed his eyes as he took a breath, needing to calm down. The feel of something hitting his face got him to look at the item that was now in his hands. Orange cloth, still warm. Looking over he watched Levy, clad only in lacy underwear walk to his bedroom.

"Don't you mean that _I_ won't be letting you go once you're _mine_?" she taunted back at him. Her dress quickly fell the floor as he followed after her.

Levy opened her eyes, looking towards the window. The sun was just rising. Sitting up, she gave a small stretch, feeling that delicious ache in places she's never felt before. Glancing at the mirror, she takes note of all the love bites adorning her skin. And the best of them all was the mark just along the upper swell of her left breast.

'I'll have to go shopping with Lu-chan for some more revealing tops,' Levy thought with a giggle, wanting to show off the marks, proud of the claim of her. She sobered slightly, remembering the rift between the two of them. But its time to fix that. In the end, what Lucy and Gajeel did was just a mission. There are times when you have to do things you don't want on missions. Heck, there was one time she and Jet had to pretend to be on their honeymoon for a mission. Thankfully that was before Gajeel became part of Fairy Tail. He would have gone berserk.

She moved her head over to look at him sleeping next to her. He always seemed so harsh, so unyielding. It was amazing to her how gentle he was with her last night. Tender and caring, as though she was so precious. Thankfully, after their second—no third round—he finally caught on that she wouldn't break. After that, he became just wild.

Heat pooled deep within her as she thought of him unrestrained. And her own desires coupled with the Mark made her just as wanton. She blushed remembering her own behavior, how she touched and tasted as much of him as he did of her. Another flush went through her as she realized how much she wanted to do it again.

Looking again in the mirror, she lifted her hand to the mark above her heart. It was more than just a hickey. It looked as though it had writing on it. That wasn't there before. Looking down at herself, she was able to fully see the symbols forming shape. Slowly they moved and took the form of a dragon, dark and shiny. Fitting mark for the mate of Black Steel Gajeel. With a smirk she touched it lightly.

Now she remembered some of the talks with her, Lucy and Gajeel. She remembered what they said happened when Lucy touched her mark. Levy was fully expecting to feel a rush of passion through her veins. It not happening was a surprise. Hearing her dragon groan in pleasure next to her was even more of a surprise.

Gajeel opened his eyes, unable to focus on anything as he shuddered with aftershocks. Unable to resist, she lightly touched the mark again. Her breath caught as she watched him writhe against the sheets, his member hard as iron and standing proudly.

Gods, the thrill of knowing she had that kind of control over him. She was literally dripping with want, needing to join with her slayer. Biting her lip, she crawled over him as he started to come down from his euphoria.

Spitting into her hand, she rubbed the saliva over him, once, twice. And as he panted, she positioned herself, sliding onto him, moaning in pleasure. He only got a second's warning from her devious smirk before he watched her rake her nails against the mark, hard. Then he was hearing colors and watching stars burst behind his eyes as he roared in pleasure.

Somehow in his passion-driven madness, he managed to reach up to his own mark, right under his left ear. And then they both tumbled into the rapture together.

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 _ **Hello there strangers!**_

 _ **So first off, its been forever since I read Zero and I know I should have to refresh myself, but just got lazy instead. So Yuri might not be very "Yuri-ish". Oh well, sorry.**_

 _ **Secondly, I didn't even try to proof-read this, so it probably sucks. Again, sorry.**_

 _ **Thirdly (thricely?) I just now realized that NONE of my page breaks are showing in a single chapter. And nobody mentioned it either. Every time I re-read my story (which I've had to do more than a few times to remember where the story is) I read it off my original files, not what is posted on . So now that I am seeing this (and the millions! of errors), my next task is to go back and get those fixed (so if you see updates, that's why). And while I'm doing all this, hopefully I'll think of where the story is headed now-because I honestly don't have a clue...hows that for planning?**_

 _ **Anywho, thanks to everyone for sticking around and waiting on my slow ass to get in gear and lets hope this story gets done before I hit the 1 year mark.**_


	17. The Intention

_**I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

Chapter 17 – The Intention

Makarov sighed as the discussions continued. It was always amazing to see the things created by non-magic users, technology he believed was the correct word. Give a regular person a magical item and they created so many wondrous things. But this one, he could have done without. Multi-line communication lacrima. Just what he needed, to be yelled at by more than one person at the same time.

Trying to reign in the group on his "conference call," Makarov pounded his enlarged fist on the desk. "Alright, so there are 3 options available to us. Hide the vial, destroy the vial, open the vial. And it sounds like we all agree that keeping it hidden is not the best option, because no matter how well something is hidden, somebody will eventually come looking for it."

The group on the lacrima sent sounds of agreement, prompting Fairy Tail's 3rd/6th master to continue.

"So that means we must destroy the Abyss Break, as releasing it is also not an option."

"No we can't just destroy it," Yajima piped in. The others on the call started to groan, thinking another argument for hiding the potion was going to start.

"Listen, you blasted fools! No matter what, if you destroy the vial, it will release the spell. Only it will be combined with whatever spell is used to destroy it. That could possibly lead to multiplying the strength of the spell or mutating it into something different altogether. We don't know really what would happen."

Goldmine looked on thoughtfully. "He's right. Better to chose the evil we know and just open the vial. Now we just need to decide where to do it that will cause the least amount of destruction."

"You have that water girl, do you not?" Bob asked. "Perhaps she could take it to the bottom of the ocean and release it there. Surely being that far down would help compress some of its strength."

Jura protested almost immediately. "That cannot happen. Although the blast wouldn't physically hurt the port towns, it could adversely effect the sea life, which will effect trade. A larger city like Hargeon might not feel it, but smaller ports towns, like the ones near Lamia Scale could possibly be devastated. I've seen how damaging just a poor season can be; this would be much worse. I agree this is a possible option, but preferably a last resort option."

The rest of the group grudgingly agreed. All aspects needed to be considered.

"How about that celestial girl of yours, Macky. Do you think she could take the vial into the stellar realm to open it?" Yajima asked.

"I'm not sure. There are beings living there as well, and with how differently things work in that realm, it may be more damage than not. But I will ask her." Makarov agreed. It was at least something to consider.

Many other ideas were discussed before the call was over. In the end, the first agreed choice was taking the vial to Edolas, where there is no magic, and opening it there. Hopefully the spell would be negated and they would return home with just an empty glass.

Next options were opening the vial on Christina, up above the ocean, far from land. Third out in the desert lands to the far east. Unfortunately all of these options involved a great deal of time to reach and there was no time left. People were coming for the spell.

Finally able to get away from his desk now that the call was over, Makarov grabbed is coat as he left. Time to talk with Porlyusica and see if she knew a way to get back to her old home.

xxxxx

Draylen sat on the chair in his cheap hotel room. It was hard and uncomfortable, but that made little difference to the dark mage. Soon all his planning would come to fruition. Soon he would be the leader of the strongest guild in Fiore.

The master of Orc's Knuckle asked him to investigate the possibility of a Fairy Tail spy, but he was looking too small. A spy wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. But Draylen had a plan, one he'd been waiting for the chance to put in action. And now it was time.

Reports from his own spies gave him all the information he needed. Fairy Tail mages were significantly weaker than before his little visit with the blonde and metal dragon. The loss of their celestial mage certainly hit them hard. More than even he had wagered.

It wasn't well known that a guild shares power among its members, but even less is the knowledge of how a celestial mage's powers work. Magical energy is a selfish thing and when given a chance to share or keep to its owner, the energy will keep to the mage its attached to, so only small amounts of energy are actually shared via a guild mark. However, to celestial mages, sharing power is the norm. It is their power that strengthens their spirits, after all. So spreading magic to their guild members follows the normal flow of their magic. If a celestial mage actually kept their power to themselves, they would truly be a force to challenge the gods.

And while it seemed that all was going to plan, it bothered Draylen to see Gajeel still a part of the guild. He knew the slayer wasn't an actual mate to the blonde, but he had counted on the strength of the mark to force the two to consummate their mating. And with the possible side effects of a false mating, Draylen actually counted on both mages to be dead by now. But no matter, this simply gives him another dragon slayer.

The dark mage twisted his wrist and a vial requipped into his fingers. There were ruins etched into the glass, giving the surface a frosted look. He had so many plans for the powers he planned on stealing. Deals had been made for certain mages, and he was certain he could sell what wasn't already spoken for. However the most powerful would go straight to him.

He wondered what his great-grandmother would think of how he used her powers. Delancy Roane hoped her death would be the end of her unique ability; oh how surprised she would be to know the powers passed down to her great-grandchild. When first captured by the dark guild long ago, she was raped and it was only after she gave birth that she killed herself, leaving the infant with the guild.

As time went on that guild changed into Orc's Knuckle and Draylen came to learn of this special talent. But where as Delancy only bottled spells, he had learned to place the bottled spell into a lacrima that could then be implanted into the body, giving a mage that power permanently, rather than a single use.

And with this gift, he would make a fortune, selling off the powers of Fiore's strongest guild. His men were in place. And now it was simply time to wait until the fire dragon slayer returned; he would be the greatest prize of them all.

xxxxx

Lucy walked next to Natsu, feeling nervous. He said that he loved her. He had plans already made for marrying her. And she hasn't really said anything back to him yet. But it was a bit difficult to swallow all at once.

What exactly was she supposed to do next? This was the one thing she was always afraid of, that things would change and they already had. She was simply just not comfortable around Natsu anymore. She didn't know if she should reach for his hand, loop her arm around his or simply just keep her hands to herself. As much as she wanted to pretend she knew how relationships went so she could write her stories, she really had no idea what the next move was.

And did she make the move or wait for him? She sighed. Why was this so hard?!

Natsu listened as the blonde sighed again, making him cringe inside, again. Looking back, he realized he didn't handle things well. He shouldn't have forced that on her all at once. But he was just so furious that the guild would have kicked her out, even if it was under the influence of a spell. And he was even angrier at himself. If he had been there, then he could have stopped it, no matter how he was feeling. Nothing on Heaven or Earthland would have influenced him to rip her away from her family.

He could tell they were close to Magnolia, and he needed to fix this. Reaching for her arm, he pulled her off the path into the woods, making sure they were far away from anyone accidentally crossing their path.

Lucy swallowed hard. She knew it. She didn't do something and now Natsu was regretting everything. When he finally stopped and pulled her up against a tree, she closed her eyes, preparing to hear his bad news, whatever it may be.

Natsu noticed the look on her face. She looked so defeated. He couldn't help himself. He didn't want her to feel like that with him, never. Slowly, he leaned forward and took her lips with his own, hands coming up to cup her face. Keeping the kiss gentle, he worked her into a response, her own hands reaching up to grab onto his vest, pulling him forward.

Desire surged through him and he broke away, leaning his forehead against hers, taking a deep breath. It was going to be so hard to keep his hands off her just like this; he couldn't imagine what it was going to be like after they marked and mated...and he couldn't wait for it either.

One hand he placed on the tree behind her to help support himself and the other went to her waist, fingers slipping underneath the hem. "Luce, tell me what's wrong."

She wanted to deny it at first, but the look in his eyes, so earnest, pulled the words from her mouth. "I don't want us to stop being friends. I don't want us to change. I'm not sure how to act around you now."

"Luce, I told you that I can get past the stuff with the iron freak."

"No, not that. You said you loved me and wanted to get married. And I..." she trailed off, not sure what to say.

"If it's not what you want, you need to tell me. I won't force you to do something you don't want," he said, stomach sinking. He was so sure she wanted to be with him, but he had to admit she didn't say it back.

"No, that's not it. Natsu I love you. I have for so long. But I've never had a boyfriend before and I just don't know what to do. I don't want to do anything wrong," her voice quieted down as she meekly turned her head away. She was actually pretty embarrassed to be admitting this to him.

Natsu smiled radiantly. He didn't realize how much he needed to hear the words from her that he almost didn't catch the rest of what she said. Turning her face back to him, his smile turned to a smirk.

"Well, if that's all it is, then how about we set some ground rules." At her nod, he continued. "First, I'll need you to cook for me every day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as various snacks and desserts." She frowned slightly but he just continued on. "I get to sleep in your bed whenever I want, and I get to choose which side of the bed I want first." Her frown quickly turned into a glare, but he didn't let it stop him. "And you'll need to keep the place clean. But the good part is that I already have the perfect maid uniform for you to wear while you're at it."

He didn't get a chance to continue as she quickly punched him in the gut and started to stomp off. Laughing around the pain, he pulled her back before she got more than a few steps, reversing them so he was against the tree and she was wrapped in his arms, her back against his front.

"Seriously, Luce, what is going to change?" The breathy whisper sent shivers down her spine. "Other than finally being able to touch you, nothing is going to be different. And with that, I have never wanted anything as much as I want you and I will wait for as long as it takes until you're ready for that step."

She could feel a weight lift with his words. He was right. No matter what, they would be there for each other. They were the original Team Natsu and nothing could tear them apart.

"But that all being said," he continued, "there is something I want." She turned to face him, question in her eyes. "I want to mark you before we get to town. I don't want you around anybody until I can do something to make sure everyone knows you belong to me."

Watching the desire flare in his eyes, she could only nod dumbly. She wanted that too, just as badly. Catching her breath, she had a thought. "But only other slayers will see it."

"Hmmm...well I guess we'll just have to make due with something more visible." Natsu grinned as he leaned in for a kiss.

Lucy leaned into him, moaning as their tongues danced. Her hands went up to his hair, fingers splayed through the strands. Meanwhile, his hands went down to her hips, pulling her against him, loving the feel of her curves against his strength.

Breaking away for air, Natsu moved to nip, lick and suck his way down her neck, on to the tops of her breasts, proudly displayed by her low-cut shirt. And there he found the perfect place for his mark. Hands dropped to her thighs, lifting her up and giving him better access to her chest. Then he began to mark her, teeth and tongue worrying the flesh.

Lucy wrapped her legs around his waist, groaning as held him to her. It felt amazing to be in his arms like this but she kept herself from rubbing her pelvis up against his washboard abs. However much she wanted him, now just wasn't the place or the time. For now, she would just enjoy the feeling of his mouth on her sensitive skin, his hands gripping onto her thighs.

With a grunt and a satisfying pop, Natsu leaned back to admire his work. The bruise violently stood out against her skin, part of it covered by her top, leaving one to wonder how far down the mark truly went. He lowered her back to the ground, helping her when her legs didn't quite keep her steady.

Taking a breath to clear her head, she looked down at the hickey. She wasn't sure if she should be proud to have the mark and be pissed that it made her look like some cheap streetwalker. Deciding on both, she gave him a kiss, then punched him in the arm.

"Oh, one more thing," Natsu said while unwinding his scarf. He placed it around her shoulders, making sure it was easily recognizable but not covering the reddish-purple skin. "Now you look like you belong to a dragon."

Unable to stop a grin, she turned away so he wouldn't see it. "Alright Natsu, playtime's over. Lets get moving. I want a bed beneath me when I sleep tonight."

"Aye sir," he answered, taking her hand as they continued their walk back to town.

xxxxx

 _So this chapter went kinda cringe-worthy towards the end, but I have a migraine, so I'm lucky to even see straight—yeah, I'm trying to stop drinking pop again,...oh the pain. Don't know why get these stupid ideas._

 _Good news: I actually have a plan about how I want to finish this story. Seriously I started this with just the thought, "wouldn't it be hilarious if Lucy and Gajeel accidentally got stuck together" and that was about it. I've been just pulling the rest of the story out of my butt as I went. So actually having an idea gives me hope that I can finish this before I die._

 _Bad news: New job been keeping me busy so I haven't done much when I get home that doesn't involve taking care of the kids. The only "me" time I'm getting usually involves a toilet, and even then a child usually follows me to ask me questions about animals or some nonsense._

 _So, no, this story is not forgotten/abandoned, just didn't know what to do next. Hopefully now that this crappy chapter is done I can move forward. Just don't expect it to finish soon. Maybe I'll even get another chapter out before Valentine's Day. Cross your fingers =^.^=_


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